


More than you know

by casian



Series: This house is falling apart [1]
Category: Marvel, Marvel (Movies), Marvel Avengers Movies Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Rated M for science!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-20
Updated: 2013-05-07
Packaged: 2017-11-16 16:29:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 32,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/541530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/casian/pseuds/casian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony's not been himself lately and Bruce suspects the source of his troubles is related to an absent red headed assistant. However, he wasn't expecting Tony to turn so self destructive. It's up to Bruce to keep Tony from the inevitable crash and burn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. So much for a quiet evening

**Author's Note:**

> This was my first fanfic in many, many years. For a long time, I only wrote original work and I liked it that way. Then the Avengers happened and these wonderful, fantastic, broken and lovely characters got in my head and under my skin. I thought I could just write it out, have a little one-shot that would never go anywhere and be done with it. Wow, was I wrong. To date, this is the longest piece I've ever written and the only long story I've finished. I posted it as I went on Fanfiction, but I'm editing and revising it for here. There shouldn't be major changes, mostly just clean up and potentially rearranging a few scenes. So if you already read this over there, don't feel obligated to read it here as well. The differences won't be that big.
> 
> With school going full swing, the sequel will not be coming nearly as quickly as the first did; however, I am working on it. The sequel has taken a turn that fans of the first might not like so much, but I make no apologies for that. Hopefully, you'll keep reading and give it a chance.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

Bruce glanced at the clock while tapping a stylus on a screen full of equations. He turned back to the formula that had been troubling him and scratched out three variables which vanished from the screen. He scribbled in one and then another, but neither seemed to get the right answer.

“Something's missing,” he thought aloud. 

Tony would know. Of course, Bruce's lab partner hadn't set foot in the lab for weeks. Bruce hadn't seen Tony outside of practice and a few brawls with some Hydra thugs in two weeks actually.

Normally, Bruce would have pushed with his latest idea- and it was a good one too, the sort that would result in a manic Stark throwing himself into the lab for many sleepless nights- but Pepper had been missing for just as long. The rest of the team was convinced that Tony and Pepper were planning something big. Steve had even suggested a wedding. Bruce knew better, though.

Tony hadn't been himself since it started. He still made the witty, sarcastic jabs at everyone but the enthusiasm just wasn't there. He hadn't worked on the latest incarnation of the Iron Man suit or touched either of their joint projects. And he'd been drinking. A lot. The rest of the team wouldn't have noticed an increase in Tony's drinking. Well, except maybe Natasha, but the Widow had been dealing with relationships problems of her own. No, something was definitely wrong.

They must have fought and it must have been over something pretty big to be going on this long. Of course, Tony was too proud to admit how lost he was without her, which was a real shame because Bruce was pretty lost now too.

“What happened to me?” he asked himself with a heavy sigh. “I used to work just fine alone.”

Bruce slid the computer pad aside and stretched out, finding his feet. Maybe some fresh air would help? His lab was on the top floor- made it easier to get to the equipment on the roof for manual adjustments. A quick walk down the hall, and he was at the stairs to the roof.

As the door swung open, the cool breeze raised the hairs on the back of his neck. He pulled his jacket tight as he made his way to the ledge. Lights from buildings and cars sparkled below. Bruce was grateful to be so high up; not only was the view fantastic, but his thoughts weren't being drowned out by the constant noise of the city. There weren't many places in New York so peaceful, and ironically, Tony owned half of the others as well. 

After having spent so long on the run, making do with scraps, it still caught him off guard, at times, just how much he had access to now. Sure, when he was working for the military trying to recreate the super soldier serum, Bruce had access to all sorts of equipment and supplies, but that had all been so closely monitored and controlled. Here, Tony not only allowed him free reign but actively encouraged Bruce to go all out when he'd otherwise have made do with less. There wasn't much Stark wouldn't gladly provide, at least, not that Banner had found. All he had to do was make mention of enjoying the roof top and Tony had moved his entire lab up to the top floor that day.

He knew better than to let himself relax too much, of course; however, every now and then, Bruce enjoyed a moment's peace up here before forcing the anger to swell back up. Being angry all the time wasn't the best life, but it was better than the alternative: never being in control, always being afraid of when the “Other Guy” might show up. And, as tiring as it was to be so angry, all he ever had to do was think of _her_ and he had a whole pool of rage to fuel his adrenaline.

For a moment, Bruce pulled out a photo from his jacket pocket. Long brown hair framed her pear shaped face and soft blue eyes smiled back at him. A small, hollow laugh shook his chest as he stroked the photo. He shoved it back into his jacket. Yeah, that would do it.

Bruce took in the city once more before turning back toward the door, but before he could take another step, a loud crash on the other side of the roof pulled him from his thoughts. He ran to the landing pad to find the mechanical arms struggling to remove the shredded remains of Tony's suit. Sparks shot off from torn wires and there were several areas where exposed skin showed bruises, cuts and burns.

“Jesus Christ, Tony! What the hell happened?!” Bruce shouted as he ran to Tony's side.

Tony looked up, one eye uncovered, blood dripping from cuts where his helmet had been ripped from his face. A vague awareness crossed that eye. _Damn it_ , Bruce cursed silently. He was plastered, but even drunk, the suit should have been enough protection.

“Bruce,” he stammered. “I.. the suit- it's stuck. I'm running... on reserves...”

Bruce fought to stay calm as he circled Stark, taking in the damage. One of the legs was warped and cutting into Tony's leg and all but half of one of the arms were missing entirely. His chest, like his face, was half exposed. Even if they had the time, removing the suit was going to do more damage. He was running on reserves, so they didn't have time. “You're not going to have much left if I'm removing it,” he responded with a pause. “And it's going to hurt.”

Tony's response came with no hesitation and only a slight cringe. “I know- Just get me out of here...”

Bruce sighed. So much for an uneventful evening. He slid off his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt. He pictured _her_ once more and let the rage take over. He stumbled as it felt like every bone in his body broke and his skin stretched tight over expanding muscles. The pain blinded him for a second before the raw anger flooded his mind. With massive green fists, the Hulk ripped apart the remains of the Iron Man suit. Even with his strength, tearing the armor was a challenge. Still, he managed to get the major pieces off.

Seeing Tony so broken was enough to sober up even the Hulk, or perhaps, especially the Hulk. Although Bruce was only half aware of what the Hulk saw, he was constantly aware of his overwhelming emotions. Ever since the day the Hulk caught Iron Man, falling from the tesseract portal, Bruce had found the Hulk feeling more and more protective of him. Tony had been the only one to completely trust him for the longest time; Bruce suspected that the Hulk knew that. 

Bruce took back control as his body shrunk down, ignoring the pain that always accompanied transforming. Carefully, he lifted Tony up and helped him into the building. He managed to get as far as the elevator before Stark slumped over, passed out from shock.

* * *

 It was a few hours before Tony woke, wincing as he sat up, causing Banner to stir. 

Bruce stretched and yawned. “Tony, hey, how are you feeling?” He stood up quick and put a hand on Tony's shoulder. 

Looking down at his now stitched up chest and bandaged legs, he responded, “I've had better nights.”

“Who did this to you? I've never seen your suit this messed up.” _Or you for that matter_ , he kept to himself. “You should have called for back up.”

“It was my mess to clean up,” Tony didn't make eye contact as he spoke, “It was my tech Hydra's been using, my job to take it back.”

“Or die trying?” Bruce fought to keep the urgency from his voice. “We're a team, Tony. You could have at least called me, or was your absence from the lab this past month supposed to be my pink slip?”

Something crossed Stark's face but Bruce couldn't identify it. Hurt? It was quickly replaced with the cold shell he'd been wearing for weeks. He shook his head.

With a sigh, Bruce added, “If you don't want to talk about whatever's going on, that's fine, just as long as you know you can. We're still partners, right?”

That was the first time that he had used that word out loud. Clint never hesitated to poke fun at their “geeking out” and Bruce certainly didn't want to give Tony the wrong idea, but if the past couple years on the team had taught him anything, it was that Stark had his back. On and off the field. When Emil showed up and framed the Hulk, Tony was the one defending him. When General Ross managed to get him drugged and imprisoned, Iron Man was the one to break him free. Bruce couldn't return every favor but he did make sure that he always had Tony's back and he'd long since come to think of them as partners above and beyond the team.

Still not making eye contact, Tony replied, “I'm no good as a partner or on a team. Haven't you heard? I don't play well with others. I'm a text book narcissist. I don't give a damn about anyone but myself.”

“Tony, you know that's not true. Without you, this team wouldn't have happened. We've worked together to save the world. We've built new tech, developed defenses against gamma attacks, saved countless lives. If nothing else, you took a nuclear missile through a portal into the other end of the universe where you would have died without a second thought.” Bruce forced eye contact before continuing. “You may have most people convinced that Tony Stark is a self involved egoist but you'll never convince me.”

Tony pushed himself off the table and limped over to a cabinet for personal effects. He pulled out a bottle of whiskey and didn't bother with a glass. He took a long swig before turning back to Banner.

“Alright, Doc. No need to go all mushy on me. You'll get the call next time.” Tony took another swig before sticking the bottle back in the cabinet. “So, JARVIS said you've been hard at work. Want to show me the new project?”

It wasn't surprising that Stark was going to act like nothing had happened. Upsetting, for sure, but not surprising. Still, Bruce knew better than to think he could push Tony into doing anything before he was ready. It was best just to let him set the pace, give a gentle nudge from time to time. Patience was something Banner could do, though. Perhaps that's why they worked so well together.

Bruce put on half a smile and grabbed the tablet he'd been using, handing it to Stark. It took Tony a few minutes to scroll through the pages of formulas and a couple more to skim them a second time. Bruce always loved watching the gears turn in Tony's head, as he calculated and processed and added his own unique spin to things. 

He grabbed a stylus and added a few notes here and there before asking, “Is this what I think it is?”

“Well, you did give me all that fantastic data from the last encounter with the Enchantress and told me to, what was it?”

Tony smirked. “Figure out the source of her “magic” and snuff it out.”

Bruce smiled a little broader and nodded. “I'll need your help building deployment, but if the math is right-”

“The math is right. _I_ checked it.” Tony interrupted, placing extra emphasis on that “I” as usual. 

Bruce didn't skip a beat, having expected Tony's little ego plug. “This should be able to inhibit any of the Asgardian magic, though it will be a challenge to really test. All I really have to work with will be Mjölnir, if Thor is willing.”

“You let me handle Goldilocks,” Tony replied confidently. “I'll also draw up a model for deployment tonight. How long will synthesis take you?”

“You checked my math. You tell me.” A smug response, for sure, but Tony brought that out in him at times, and it was only fair for the math comment earlier.

“Give or take two hours set up, another six for the first round and, if you're in on time-” Tony glanced at Bruce and smirked. “Another four and a half for the second round. You should have a sample for me in thirteen and a half hours.”

“That give you enough time to get the hammer and a test device?” Bruce asked, already knowing the answer.

“And catch a nap.” Tony turned a little too sharp and winced. “Well, maybe we'll skip the nap.” Turning his attention upward, he asked, “JARVIS, where is Thor?”

The AI responded, “Thor is in training room C on the fifth floor, Sir.”

Tony waved as he limped out of the lab. “See you in thirteen, Doc.”

Bruce's smile faded and he shook his head. One day, this pace was going to catch up to his partner. All he could do was be there to catch him when he fell... again.

 


	2. Setting up the experiment

 The obnoxious blare of his alarm clock jarred Bruce from his sleep. The nap hadn't been nearly long enough, but he knew Tony would be on time. The engineer was late for everything from board meetings, to press conferences, to flights, but Stark was never late for science. And keeping Tony waiting was never a good plan. Stark got into too much trouble on his own.

It was only then that it occurred to Bruce that leaving him to work on his own may not have been the best idea after such a trying night, regardless of how good a face Stark put on. To ease his concerns, he asked the AI, “JARVIS, where is Tony?”

The AI's British voice replied promptly, “Mr. Stark is currently in the kitchen on the sixth floor.”

That didn't ease him much, so before heading back to his own experiment, Banner decided to check in on him. He slipped into a fresh pair of pants and a purple button up before heading down to the sixth floor. He knew the building pretty well and, though Stark kept all the kitchens stocked with his drug of choice (not to mention most any other room he'd have reason to be in,) Banner would have expected that Tony would be more likely to binge in one of his personal bars. Still, the uneasiness would sit with him until he saw Tony himself.

It would almost certainly be replaced with another uneasiness but Bruce didn't want to acknowledge that particular qualm. It was challenging enough to dismiss the first time he walked in on Tony binge drinking alone. The handful of times he'd had to deal with a heavily intoxicated Tony were nothing compared to all of the good that came from their friendship, but the past was hard to put behind him. Every so often, that little voice in the back of his mind taunted that Tony was just another alcoholic. Just like Brian.

Bruce shook that thought off violently. Tony was nothing like Brian Banner. Sure, he turned to alcohol when life was too much to handle, but everyone on this team was broken in some way or another. With everything each had been through, that was to be expected. More importantly, Tony had never once been abusive to him. Tony was self destructive, for sure and he could be harsh to some of the others, but never Bruce. Most would think that was for fear of angering the Hulk, but Bruce knew better. Tony had never feared the doctor's alter ego, not for a moment.

Before his mind could drift further, the elevator stopped. Bruce stepped out and walked down the hallway. As he came closer to the kitchen, he was momentarily startled by Thor shouting, “Another!”

_Not alone, good._ Bruce stayed just outside the door, listening.

“Sure, sure, but this is the last one before I need to get back to the lab,” Tony responded, his voice almost cheerful. “I'll leave the bottle so long as you promise to meet me there on time.”

“Aye, of course, friend,” Thor responded with a loud thud on Tony's back.

Bruce winced sympathetically, but the thunder god didn't seem to notice. _Wow._ Tony was even better at this mask thing than Bruce gave him credit for. Reassured that Tony had it together, Banner returned to the elevator to get back to work.

* * *

 Tony poured another shot each for Thor and himself and forced a smile after he was sure the Asgardian hadn't burst any of his stitches. He raised his glass to Thor's and they both took their shots. Setting the glass down, he asked again, “Four hours, right? Top floor, lab B?”

“I shall be there, friend,” Thor reassured Tony as he poured himself another shot.

Tony did his best not to visibly limp out the door, though the several shots of sixty-four year old Macallan Single Malt certainly helped. Normally, he wouldn't have broken out such an expensive bottle just to appease Thor, but after his confrontation with Bruce earlier, he felt the need to congratulate himself. It wasn't often that anyone said all the right things, all the things Tony needed to hear to crack through his defenses. He'd only just barely diverted Bruce before breaking down and spilling all his troubles. That deserved several shots from a half a million dollar bottle of whiskey, right?

It wasn't that he didn't believe Bruce on the whole “partner” bit; in fact, it was quite the opposite. Bruce was his best friend and the one he trusted most, but Tony never wanted to inflict his demons on anyone else, certainly not on his partner. Just like the tech, it was his responsibility to deal with. Stark had no problem having their backs, especially Bruce's but even after the years of working together as a team, he still hadn't figured out how to accept their help.

As the elevator swiftly climbed the floors between the kitchen and his lab, Tony asked, “JARVIS, is Dr. Banner up and moving again.”

“Yes Sir. Dr. Banner returned to the lab five minutes ago,” the AI replied.

“Good,” Tony said, more to himself than the computer. “And how is my project coming along?”

“The dampening device is fifty-eight percent complete, Sir.”

Tony nodded. He still had to set up the lab for the experiment but he expected that by the time that was finished, Bruce would have the last phase of his end finished. Although he was caught off guard earlier, the whiskey emboldened him. He'd stop in to check on Banner after he finished the set up. 

* * *

 Bruce made it back to the lab as the first phase finished and the incubator timer clicked off. His mind was only half focused on the experiment. The other half was debating sending an e-mail out to Ms. Potts. Sure, Pepper wasn't his biggest fan, but she would probably fill him in on at least the basics. She also wouldn't tell Tony that Bruce had asked. However, she was likely just as hurt as Tony right now (maybe even a bit more if Tony had reacted poorly- which, let's face it, Tony pretty much always reacted poorly to relationship troubles) and as concerned as he was for Tony, Bruce didn't enjoy hurting others. He certainly didn't want to rub salt into Pepper's open wounds.

His distraction came at a cost however as Bruce pulled the test tubes from the incubator without a mitt. The burning wasn't terrible, but it was enough to give him a jolt from the “Other Guy.” He managed to set the tray down with only one casualty spilling over his hand before pulling off his lab coat and thrusting his hand into the sink. It was a mild burn and fortunately, the few small drops of the mixture that had hit his skin seemed to wash off easily, without any chemical burns.

His heart rate, however, was a concern. Bruce took several deep breaths, trying to calm down the Hulk. This little burn wasn't a threat, he tried to tell his other self. It'd heal just fine on its own. No need for Hulk healing. _Right, Big Guy?_ All his positive thinking didn't seem to be helping though, as Bruce looked down to see his hand turning green beneath the water.

“No, no, no, please not now,” he pleaded, trying to fight the panic.

However, just as quickly as it came on, Bruce found his hand returning to normal. He examined his hand closely to find no trace of his encounter with the test tube rack. Had the Hulk taken just enough control to heal the burn? Shaking his head, the doctor turned off the sink and took a few more deep breaths before returning to the incubator. He made sure to put on the mitts this time and carefully removed the test tubes. 

Whether the Hulk had actually helped him out this time or not, Bruce said a silent thanks to the “Other Guy” as he added a few drops to each of the test tubes. He watched closely as the mixture bubbled and a thin layer of precipitate formed at the bottom of each test tube. With a steady hand that surprised even himself, Bruce filtered out the metallic particles and pipetted the remaining solution into fresh test tubes. He placed the rack of tubes in the freezer and set another timer. 

Although Banner had rarely ever had to rely on timers, he always set them, just as he always took careful notes. This was something he and Stark never quite saw eye to eye on, which baffled the doctor. How did he manage to get a PhD in physics from MIT with such sloppy notes? Then again, it could have been a more recent development, since he had JARVIS monitoring the whole of his properties. It was still somewhat frustrating that he always took time to mark down the notes while Tony was ready to barrel on to the next step.

After he jotted all the results on the tablet, Bruce returned to the metallic precipitate. Just as he finished moving it to a more suitable container, Stark walked in, knocking on the wall.

“Are you finished yet, Doc?” Tony asked, leaning against one of the benches.

It wasn't a surprise that Tony would be back with such perfect timing. He always seemed to manage that when they were working on a joint project. Still, Bruce was still a little jumpy from his near incident earlier. He composed himself quickly and responded, “Just need to put this away. The mixture is cooling now and will be ready in four hours.” Already knowing the answer, he asked anyway, “Were you able to work out something with Thor?”

“Mmmhmm, Goldilocks was plenty pleased to help,” Tony answered casually. “It's so rare he's invited up here, I could have bagged him on curiosity alone.”

“Sounds good.”

“Well, I'm just down the hall, lab B, when you finish. Come on over and I'll show you what I've got so far.” Tony left the lab, hesitating to put his full weight on his freshly stitched leg.

Bruce watched from the corner of his eye. _Yes_ , an e-mail to Pepper would be necessary. He'd do his best to be as sensitive as he could, but seeing Tony like this and having no idea why just wasn't going to work. He slid the samples into a storage freezer and quickly typed up an e-mail on his tablet. He didn't mention the accident or any significant details; just causally asked how she'd been and when he might expect her back in the office, hinting that Tony had been a bit of a pain to deal with in her absence.

He expected to get a response in the next few days, maybe even tomorrow if Pepper was recovering well. So, when the response showed up before he'd finished cleaning up the lab, Bruce knew something was seriously wrong.


	3. Opening the hatch

Tony was growing anxious as he waited on Banner and so he took a quick swig from a flask in his desk. It was as much to ease his own nerves as for the side effect he'd noticed his drinking had on the doctor. Despite how often he would complain of not having a suit, of being exposed like a nerve, Bruce put up many shields to keep people from getting too close and Tony had long since identified the shield that went up when he'd been drinking. Put together with the fact that Banner never drank, Tony found himself intoxicated far less often than he had in years past. Tonight, however, he didn't want Bruce getting too close.

Just as he was beginning to wonder what was taking Banner so long, Tony heard the swoosh of the automatic doors as his partner entered the lab.

“So what I've got in mind-” Tony began, but as he turned to face Bruce, the look on his face stopped him. “Whoa, Big Guy, what's wrong? Just calm down, okay. We can go down to the training room and you can smash all you want down there.”

Bruce shook his head. “You know what the sad part is, Tony? Well, the saddest part?”

“They canceled Firefly. That's always been the saddest part.” Tony laughed a little. He didn't know what had Bruce so upset, and he doubted making light of it would actually help, but sometimes, he just couldn't stop his mouth.

Bruce ignored him and continued, “Steve was convinced it was a wedding. Of course, he thought it was yours.”

And then it hit. “You talked to Pepper.”

“How could you keep this to yourself, Tony? Did nothing I said earlier sink in?” Bruce demanded, closing the distance between them. “I am here for you. I've got your back. But I can't help you if you don't tell me when things get bad.”

“And what exactly did you think you could do to help this, huh? It's embarrassing enough to have lived it, but what the fuck good would it do if you knew?”

“Because keeping it all bottled up is sooo healthy,” Bruce countered. “Have you seen you lately? You're a damn shell of who you were before. It's clear you're miserable, but it doesn't have to be like that. You're not in this alone. Not anymore!”

Tony could feel his temper getting out of control, but he'd already had too much to drink to hold onto any hope of keeping his mouth shut. “How the hell would you know? You barely let anyone so much as touch you so what the hell would you know about losing the only woman who's ever tolerated you long enough to actually get close? The only only who you ever thought you could actually love?!”

As Banner went green around the edges, Tony realized he'd gone too far. In all their time working together, Tony had learned to avoid pressing Bruce for details on his love life. Bruce had refused to so much as consider any of the women Tony had tried to set him up with and when Tony asked if he swung the other way, things were just too awkward. He figured it was because of the Hulk and not trusting himself to stay in control. That was one limit Tony had respected; after all, if anything can get your heart pumping, it's a good lay. He had no problem putting himself in harm's way to provoke Bruce, but he knew the doctor couldn't handle it if he accidentally hurt some unsuspecting woman and the Hulk showing up in bed would certainly do just that.

Bruce glared at the ground, taking long, deep breaths and the green quickly subsided. As he lifted his head back up, Tony caught a glimpse of the green in his eyes as even that faded away. The relief was slight, however. At least Tony knew how to handle a physical fight. Sure, he'd lose against the Hulk, but in the end, only bodies were broken in that sort of fight. It was the verbal conflicts that had real consequences and he had long since realized that, for all his quick thinking and sharp wit, he still ended up hurt every time.

At times, Tony beat himself up over this. How fucked up was it that he's rather risk breaking every bone in his body than say something stupid that he couldn't take back? He found himself wishing Bruce would just throw a punch, but he knew better. Doctor Banner didn't do that halfheartedly. He didn't lose his cool and hit someone; he lost control and Hulk smashed the living fuck out of the offender. So, once again, Tony was stuck dealing with having said the completely wrong thing to someone he never wanted to hurt.

Bruce finally spoke, his voice showing no hint of stress. Did anything really get under his skin? “You're a genius Tony.”

“No shit.”

“When it comes to computers, technology, whatever the next ten innovations will be, you've got it all figured out before anyone else has a clue.”

“Fifteen. At least.”

“But when it comes to people, you're absolutely clueless.”

That shut Tony up. Even his internal voice went silent at that one. It was true, of course. It was something Tony had always known. What exceedingly few people were willing to tolerate him on a personal level told him this all the time. But hearing Banner say it still hurt.

Bruce pulled out the photo from his jacket pocket and set it on the table. “You don't have all the variables.”

Tony picked up the photo and found he did not recognize the woman. She must have been important to Bruce, else why would he have her picture on him, especially a picture of her in a wedding dress? There had been nothing in Banner's file about a wife and, certainly, that would have shown up in the background check Tony ran before they'd even met. What had he missed?

“She's beautiful, huh?” Bruce prompted through a smile that didn't match the ache in his voice.

Tony nodded a little. “Sure.”

“We went to Harvard together and before my-” He paused, as if the next word require a special effort to craft. “ _Accident..._  we worked together. Elizabeth Ross. Betty.”

“Any relation to General Ross?”

“His daughter, actually, but that was never really the problem,” Bruce reached for the flask on Tony's desk and took a swig before sitting down. Stunned, Tony sat at the end of the table. “She had no problem defying her father and to this day, tells him that making an enemy of me was the biggest mistake he made for his career.” He paused again, taking another swig. “And his family. At least, I would have been.”

Tony reached, questioningly for the flask, which Bruce handed off. They took turns drinking as Bruce told Tony about this woman. “Betty and I were both working at Culver when we were approached to work on recreating the super soldier serum. They really didn't give me more details than necessary; I didn't even know the end goal of the project until it was too late. It sounded suspicious but it was a military contract and Betty's father was involved. I figured I could impress him.

“I was told that we were developing treatment to resist radiation and that combining my results with the serum was the key. Then our funding got cut and we were going to lose the whole project. I thought for sure I'd figured it all out and bet my own life on it. When I came to, the lab had been destroyed, several had been killed and Betty was in a coma. I missed some key component of the super soldier serum and combining that with the gamma radiation, well, you know.”

“The Big Guy.”

“Yeah, anyway, I ran.”

“Big surprise there.” Tony was trying, really. “I'm glad I put a stop to that habit.”

“You did, didn't you.” Bruce looked at the flask he'd just picked back up and without taking another swig, he set it back down. He smiled; it was only a half smile, but it was genuine. “I ran for five years before I saw her again. I hadn't wanted to see her. I didn't think I had any right given what I'd done to her.”

The smile faded. “But she didn't give me a choice. She had saved all the data from the accident and was quite insistent that I stay with her. Others weren't so eager to see me, Samson, Ross. They attacked and the Other Guy attacked back. Betty tried to stop it and almost got hurt, but the Other Guy protected her and they escaped.

“We hid together for a while but I was still so new at this. It quickly became clear we couldn't be intimate without triggering the transformation. She didn't give up, though and forced me not to either. She helped me get to a friend's lab where we worked on an antidote. SHIELD found us, of course, and sent in General Ross. You might remember the next part, when I, you know, broke Harlem.”

Tony nodded. Bruce had mentioned that before and, thought he never brought it up, Tony always suspected that Banner knew it was Stark tech the army had used.

“I had to leave. I couldn't control the Other Guy and I was a fugitive. Betty was there from the start. Tried to convince me that I shouldn't blame myself. Said she'd wait for me. I checked up on her, after the battle with Loki and the Chitauri, but she moved on, married a military man, like her father. Glenn, I think his name was.”

_Fuck._

* * *

 Bruce was familiar with the expression Tony wore. It wasn't one he wore often, only when things were too serious for him to come up with a witty retort. He was glad for it, if only because a sarcastic comment about Betty just might have pushed him over the edge. It had been years since she'd married Glenn, but Bruce did all he could to keep the anger fresh. As much as he kept quiet about his personal life and feelings, he never mentioned Betty to the other Avengers more because of that need for a pool of rage.

When Tony finally spoke, it was sincere. “I'm sorry.”

Another rarity for Stark, this one surprised Bruce. He managed only to nod, putting the picture back in his jacket.

“Your turn.”

Tony pulled back, looking down at the familiar blue glow of his arc reactor. After a long moment of silence, the engineer spoke in a hushed voice, “She said she couldn't handle never knowing if I'd come back.”

After another silence that seemed to stretch on for hours, he continued, “She's said it before; before we were even together she said it.” He took another long swig of the flask, refusing to look up. “Every time there was a big battle, anytime I ended up on the news, I'd come home to find her in pieces.

“But I'm selfish and I convinced her to stay again and again. Then, I thought she'd given up fighting me. She did really well for a few big deal fights. I didn't even notice how she was avoiding me. I guess I got bored without all the fighting for her. That's what she said anyway, that I was only interested when she was a challenge.”

Bruce remained silent, which Tony took in the worst possible way. “She's right, of course. I don't do real relationships. I just find toys and play with them for a while before getting bored and moving on to the next shiny new thing. Just like my old man.”

The silence ate at his already destructive thoughts, confirming everything he was saying. He wouldn't have believed Bruce had the doctor protested, but his quiet was, in some ways, worse than a confirmation of Tony's deepest doubts. Vulnerability wasn't something Stark did well and as it sunk in, his temper bubbled.

Just as he was about to let his doubt and fear funnel into anger, Bruce did something far more effective than any words could have been. He took the flask and set it aside. Then the doctor wrapped his arms around Tony, pulling him close. And just like that, the anger melted away, relief washing over in a way completely unfamiliar but all together welcome. 

Bruce made no excuses for Pepper's accusations. He offered no retort. He didn't even give the socially expected “I'm sorry.” He just held Tony.

As Bruce let go, Tony finally made eye contact. He hoped his expression was enough to convey gratitude because he didn't trust his voice just yet. Bruce nodded, as if he understood, that slightly reserved smile forming on his lips. He motioned back toward the table Tony had been working at and spoke, his voice calm and steady, “Now, how about you bring me up to speed on your end of this experiment so we don't make Thor wait while we catch up, huh?”

Tony nodded, the shift back to his engineer's mind sliding into place. It wasn't abrupt like usual and certainly not a defense. For the first time in over a month, he was comfortable.

 

 


	4. Experimentation

They worked for the next few hours, taking a short break for a snack. Bruce normally would have worked right through, but he'd taken more from that flask than he typically would drink in the rare instances when he didn't avoid drinking all together. He needed something in his stomach to soak up all that expensive whiskey before he did something stupid, like drink some more. He was already fighting that warm buzz that had led him to embracing _the_ Tony Stark.

As he munched on pita chips and hummus in their break room, Bruce stole a glance at Tony. Tony was fully engaged in some equations on his tablet and, though the doctor wasn't entirely certain, it seemed as though Stark wasn't just masking pain. Bruce hoped that was the case, that all his partner needed was to get it off his chest, to feel like someone actually understood.

They came close to finishing work on the apparatus when Bruce had to return to his own lab to pull samples from the freezer. He marked down his notes and returned to Tony's lab to find Thor had arrived, Mjölnir in hand.

“My friends! Let us conduct science!” Thor exclaimed.

Bruce smiled; Tony had been right: Thor was plenty excited just to be included. Bruce handed over two vials to Tony on the way and led Thor around to the area they had set up for the experiment.

Tony poured the mixture into the device and pressed a button. The device purred as it processed the mixture, blue lines of tubing glowing bright. “This will just take a minute to warm up.”

Bruce nodded and explained to Thor, “So, I'll need you to place the hammer here. Then from over there, I want you to try to pull it to you.”

Confusion filled Thor's face. “Try to call Mjölnir? Why would it not come when summoned?”

“Well, uh, if this device works, the magic that you use to summon the hammer will be inhibited. If we can get this formula correct, we'll have a defense against the Enchantress and your brother's magic.”

Despite Thor's skepticism, he placed Mjölnir on the table and crossed to the other side of the room. “Right here, friend?”

Bruce nodded. “Now just wait for the cue.” Bruce rejoined Tony who was staring intently at the screen. “Is everything reading properly?”

“Mmmhmm.” Tony pressed a couple buttons and, sarcasm dripping, he asked, “Shall we step behind the safety glass?”

Bruce rolled his eyes and stepped back. Tony wasn't exactly one for safety. It was hard enough getting him to use basics like goggles and face shields. God forbid, Tony Stark put on a pair of gloves when handling corrosive chemicals! Of course, that was part of his charm. If weren't for his reckless disregard for self preservation, Bruce would likely have returned to the most remote third world country he could find the moment the Chitauri were defeated, if not sooner.

Tony stepped back to Bruce's side and nodded. “You're up Thor.”

Thor grinned smugly and reached out for Mjölnir. The hammer shook slightly, as if it were about to jump across the room, but then settled. The god frowned and strained, tugging harder at the magic that linked him to the hammer. Still, nothing.

“Excellent!” Tony exclaimed, lighting up with enthusiasm.

Bruce remained somewhat reserved. “Thor, take two steps forward and try again, please?”

Thor followed his instructions and the hammer shook again but still wouldn't return. His frustration evident, Thor stepped closer and closer until finally, he was almost touching the device. 

“Thor not so close. I don't-” Bruce warned, but was cut off as Thor slumped over to the ground.

“Quick, turn it off.” 

Tony tried to pull the now unconscious Thor away from the device with little success while Bruce shut off the device and moved it to the other end of the room.

With the device away, Thor came to after a few moments. “What happened? Was our science glorious? Were we victorious?”

Bruce and Tony exchanged a glance. “You could say that.” 

* * *

 

It didn't take long for Thor to recover, but they would definitely need to rework their math. They hadn't thought that the “magic” was so important to the Asgardians that inhibiting it would harm them. Based on Thor's reaction, Bruce had produced enough of the formula to put him in a coma. Or worse. If this mixture fell into the wrong hands, it could be used as a weapon against them. Still, it had worked and despite all else, Tony was excited for that.

Having finished the bottle of whiskey he started with Tony, Thor called it a night. He promised to help them with their science again “in the morrow.” Bruce offered to see him to his room, but of course the demigod waved him off with a smile. Thor picked up Mjölnir and held it tight for a moment before strapping it to his side. “Good night friends.” He waved and once more, Tony and Bruce were alone.

“Well, that could have gone better,” Banner broke the quiet.

“Or it could have not worked at all,” Tony chided. Bruce was always too hard on himself and Tony was not about to let him turn this into a failure. “Sure, we got a little more than we bargained for, but it worked. If we can find a safe amount to use, this could provide a defense against Asgardian magic.” 

Bruce offered half a smile that did little to convince Stark.

“Come on, this was a success. We deserve a drink on it.” It was a gamble, offering Bruce a celebratory drink. Before tonight, Tony wouldn't have bothered, but after they'd shared his flask earlier, it was worth a shot.

The discomfort that immediately stiffened Bruce's frame was all the answer Tony needed and made him regret having spoken in the first place. “Sorry,” Bruce managed. “Earlier, I shouldn't have.”

After a moment, Tony asked, “Why did you? I don't think I've ever seen you drink before tonight. Figured it was something you avoided because of the Big Guy.”

Banner seemed confused for a moment and then answered, “Oh no, actually, alcohol being a depressant, it has the opposite effect. Keeping just a steady buzz decreases the chances of the 'Other Guy' coming out by as much as fifteen percent.” He looked away, his shoulders sagging. “I just couldn't bring myself to do that.”

Tony wanted to ask. His gut reaction caught him off guard. Two serious heart-to-hearts in one night? Pepper's engagement really was getting to him. He took a quick swig from his flask to bolster his courage and approached Bruce. “My turn to be concerned?”

Bruce seemed surprised but nodded all the same. “Let me hang this up and maybe we can sit somewhere more comfortable?” he asked as he slid off the lab coat.

“Yeah, yeah,” Tony responded, both apprehensive and a bit eager to hear Bruce open up. He led Bruce out to the elevator and took him to his personal floor. It wasn't the first time the doctor had been to Stark's floor, but previous visits had always been business. Tony led him to a couch and where Bruce sat down. He shook the flask and asked, “I know you don't want any of this, but can I get you something else? Coffee, tea, milk, soda?”

Bruce nodded halfheartedly and answered, “Tea would be fantastic. I don't suppose you have any decaf?”

Tony smirked. Although he rarely had anyone up here aside from Pepper, he had kept some of that awful stuff Bruce drank as a just in case. He ducked back to the kitchen for a moment and returned with a mug of hot water and a tea bag steeping. “Organic decaf jasmine green tea, just what the doctor ordered.” 

Raising a brow, Banner asked, “You drink this?”

Handing over the mug, Tony laughed. “Tried it once just to see what all the fuss was about. You can keep that hippie juice to yourself,” he teased. He was met with a skeptical gaze, but quickly deflected. “So, I would have thought you'd have jumped at anything to decrease your chances of hulking out. If whatever it is that keeps you from drinking is worse-” Tony's voice trailed off. He was about to offer to cut back his drinking, but even though his head was swimming, he had enough common sense left to know better than to make that offer. Bruce had accepted his drinking this long, even if it meant he was kept at a distance. Tony didn't want to make that worse by offering something he might not be able to give. He couldn't handle that disappointment in Bruce's eyes.

“Both of my parents are dead,” Bruce spoke with a heavy sigh. 

_Ouch, what a lead in,_ Tony kept to himself.

“My mother much longer than my father, long enough that I only half remember her. She tried to protect me, but she couldn't protect herself.” He carefully removed the bag from his tea and took a tentative sip. “My father was never quite right. He said his father had abused him and maybe that was even true. Abuse often leads to more abuse. But he was disturbed on a deeper level than that. He was convinced that he was a monster, that a lab accident had mutated him and that any child he might have would be equally mutated.”

The half laugh that came from Bruce was bitter and empty. “The irony of that..” His voice trailed off for a moment as he stared into the tea.

Tony kept silent despite the angry protests in the back of his head. Though his father had ignored him until the day he died, Howard would never have raised a hand to Tony. That Bruce had to suffer at the hands of his father infuriated Stark. The delusions of Bruce's father turned his stomach. It sounded so similar to Bruce in the early days; the haunting memory of Bruce putting a bullet in his mouth made much more sense now. Banner's father was lucky he was already dead because what Tony wanted to put him through would have made whatever death he had suffered a cakewalk.

“When my mother tried to get us out of there, he lost it. He knocked her down and she never got back up. I saw it but my father forced me to lie. They didn't have enough evidence, but eventually, he slipped up. He was always drinking. I don't remember a time when he didn't reek of cheap liquor, when his eyes weren't hazy from intoxication. One night, he got particularly drunk and bragged to a bar full of people about killing my mother and getting away with it.” As he spoke, his voice grew darker, angrier. “They put him in a maximum security psychiatric hospital and I really thought I'd never have to see him again, that I was finally safe.

“Of course, the universe isn't so kind. He was released early when he'd managed to convince them he had reformed. He came looking for me, tried to get me under his thumb again. I went to my mother's grave, hoping for something, anything. He followed me and attacked me. He blamed me for her death and to be honest, I did too. This was before the accident, but there was still something inside me fighting, even when I gave up. I don't even remember striking, but when I stood up, I saw he had fallen and snapped his neck on her gravestone.”

Pulling off his glasses and setting his tea aside, Bruce looked down at his hands. “Of course, when I had my accident, I proved him right. The monster inside me, the one that killed him, got his own physical form and has been hurting people ever since.”

Often, Bruce had told him that he saw Stark as a successful version of himself, what he could have been had things worked out better. For Tony, though, Bruce was ten times the man he would ever be. Sure, Howard was an alcoholic and barely noticed he had a son, but Tony had never been abused. He grew up safe and secure, yet he still turned out like his father, emotionally crippled and chemically dependent. He took a moment to really think before he spoke, not wanting to screw it up again. 

Finally, Tony turned Bruce to face him, looking him dead in the eyes and spoke with as much sincerity as he could, hoping the intent wouldn't be muddied by poor choice of words, “Bruce, you're the strongest man I know. You survived the childhood that no one should ever have to go through. You learned to control your rage. You help people now. If it had been me in your shoes, I never would have made it. You're a better man than I'll ever be.”

The mix of emotions that went through Bruce's soft brown eyes flew by too quickly for Stark to identify, but when it settled on gratitude, Tony breathed deep with relief. He hadn't screwed up.

What happened next went simultaneously too fast for Stark to think and yet, somehow in slow motion. Bruce opened his mouth as if to say something and then leaned in closer to Tony. In that instant, with his focus on Bruce's lips, Tony braced for a kiss he had never expected but knew that he ought to have. Before he had a moment to consider that, he was in the doctor's arms again, though with a slight desperation in Bruce's embrace that left Tony wanting to hold him and never let go.

Tony shifted after a moment and pulled Bruce closer, into his own arms, the doctor burying his face in Tony's shoulder. There were so many half formed thoughts racing to the tip of his tongue. _I'll keep you safe. You make me so much better. I'll never drink again._ But he knew better than to speak. Instead he continued to hold Bruce, allowing the doctor to rest on his chest, his hand on top the arc reactor that even Pepper rarely touched. As exhaustion overtook them both, the last thing Tony heard was a murmured “Thank you.”

 


	5. A couple of master assassins

Fury finished reading the report and let out a heavy sigh. Standing at attention in front of his desk, hands clasped behind her back, Natasha didn't make eye contact. The director paused for a long moment before he nodded to Romanov and asked, “And your opinion on all of this?”

She was still questioning her decision to bring this to Fury's attention, but as much as she considered herself an Avenger above and beyond a SHIELD agent, her loyalty to Nick was unshakeable. Further, she trusted him almost as much as she could trust anyone, almost as much as Clint. Still, this was a huge risk, bringing him this information; she was putting her own place as an Avenger on the line when she reported this development. That was her life though: calculated risks.

She didn't lie when she answered, “High risk. One wrong move and we could have a relapse for either of them.” She paused, the image of Bruce's hand resting on top the arc reactor as he slept peacefully taking front in her mind. “However, as with any risk, there is potential benefit.”

Fury motioned for her to go on, his face showing no emotion. He had always been so impossible to read, even for Romanov.

At this point, Natasha's eyes met his. She fought to keep herself impartial, but there was reason for hope in this situation. If Fury were to call it, there would be a falling out and she wanted to avoid that fall out if at all possible. She spoke with carefully chosen words, “As we predicted prior to the initiative, they balance each others more _extreme_ behaviors. Stark drinks less and Banner hasn't fled in years. In addition to keeping on track as a team, they work well together professionally. The advances they've made as a result are well beyond what either could have accomplished on their own.

“As mentioned in the report, Stark has been more of a hindrance since Ms. Potts announced her engagement and yet, Banner managed to get him back to work. The work they accomplished last night alone may prove to be a defense against Asgardian magic. Should this trend continue, the benefits for the team and the technology for SHIELD would be unprecedented. It is a gamble, but in my opinion, it is too early to call.”

Fury took it all in and handed the report back to Natasha. “Keep me informed but for now, we will keep this off the books. If a situation rises, I trust you will handle it?”

Natasha nodded and took the folder, leaving the room. After the report had been incinerated, she returned to the tower, apprehensively planning. Riding the elevator up to her room, she glanced down at the vial she hadn't even realized she'd pulled out. Nervously clutching the injector filled with a dark purple fluid, she hoped she'd not ever have to use it. The elevator opened, catching her by surprise and she pocketed the vial almost instantly. _Almost_.

Had it been anyone else on the other side of that door, the injector would have gone unnoticed, but the look on Barton's face made it clear that she had not moved quick enough. She attempted to move past him, but Clint had a hand on her shoulder, demanding her attention.

“Do we have a situation?” he asked, urgency brimming in his voice.

Keeping her voice as level as possible, Romanov shook her head. “No.”

Clint relaxed slightly but she could tell from his stance, he didn't believe her. However, there was nothing she could do to correct that right now. Right now, there were more urgent issues to deal with than their rocky relationship. Pulling away, she walked as calmly as she could away from the closing elevator door.

* * *

After everything settled with the Winter Soldier, the past couple months had been especially rough for Barton. He had almost leveled out, almost settled back into that comfortable place where he had a partner who he could trust with his life, where they had a team that all looked out for each other, but seeing Natasha with _that_ in her hand pushed him right back over the edge. Never one to easily trust, paranoid thoughts swirled through his mind as the elevator took him higher than he'd originally intended.

The doors opened up to a floor he rarely visited and Clint quickly made his way to Banner's lab. Forcing his body to relax, he opened the door casually and peeked his head in.

“Hey doc,” he started with a convincing cheerful tone. “I hear you and Stark invited Thor up for lab time last night. When's it going to be my turn?”

Both Tony and Bruce, who had been laughing, gave him skeptical looks. Tony was the first to respond. “Goldilocks' magic hammer was part of the experiment. No offense Cupid, but we don't exactly have any experiments planned around archery.”

A sarcastic retort reached the tip of his tongue but was shoved back down when Bruce placed a hand on Tony's shoulder. It was a simple gesture that most would have ignored, but Clint's vision caught the tiny nuances; Tony's entire body eased just slightly.

Bruce spoke unnecessary words, “Now Tony, we shouldn't squelch the scientific endeavors of our team mates.” He smiled as he turned to Clint. “I'd be glad to explain the experiment we're working on. An extra set of eyes is always appreciated.”

Clint laughed uneasily and nodded. “Sure, sure. I'd love to help.”

The next hour was truly the most boring hour he could ever remember. Banner and Stark had completely lost him within five minutes of technobabble, but he resisted the urge to mock them for completely geeking out. As often as he had implied that they were closer than friends, for the first time Clint was actually considering the possibility.

Instead, he focused on what they were saying without words. Clearly, something had happened between the pair of scientists. He counted twelve times when Bruce touched Tony, be it a hand on the back, nudging his shoulder playfully or using his whole side to push Tony away from the microscope. Each time, Stark had been completely receptive, which in and of itself didn't surprise Barton, but the receptiveness on Banner's side certainly did. Banner had always been so particular about personal space and now he was downright inviting Tony into that bubble.

After an hour, Clint had managed to put together only the very basics of their experiment. It sounded really promising, but not really something Clint could contribute much to. An extra pair of hands was all he could really offer.

“Sure, I can go toe-to-toe with Thor when you get this thing working,” he offered. “Guess I'll leave you geeks to it.”

Bruce waved as Clint left the lab and Tony even managed a smile. Although his recent trust issues with Natasha had him wanting to chew her out for even considering needing that injector, years of training gave him an understanding of her caution. Neither Tony nor Bruce had been particularly stable in the past and with Tony's reputation, he could see the risk here. Still, Natasha had taken one of the jets out earlier, which could only mean she was meeting with Fury. Even though he understood her concern, there was no excuse for her to take it to SHIELD.

Unlike Romanov, Clint's loyalties to SHIELD and Fury had been completely replaced with his loyalty to the team. The Avengers and Natasha were his first priority. If she betrayed the team, however, betrayed Stark and Banner to SHIELD, Clint was going to be there to stand in her way. He asked, “JARVIS, where is Agent Romanov?”


	6. Reconnaissance

 Before opening his eyes, Bruce slowly became aware of a soothing hum and a coolness that thrummed beneath his hand. Then the warmth of the body beneath him touched his senses. Soft snoring and the rise and fall of Tony's chest beneath him, Bruce remembered where he was. He jolted up, eliciting a disgruntled murmur from Stark who thankfully, remained asleep. With any luck, the whiskey and lack of sleep that had lead up to last night would keep Tony from remembering how the evening had ended. Bruce hoped anyway.

After a long and very cold shower spent arguing internally, the large part convinced that he took things too far last night, the small part that hoped Tony would remember and this would be a good thing, Bruce wrapped a towel around his waist and opened the door. The last thing he had expected was to be greeted with Tony sitting eagerly at the end of his bed. Stark was practically bouncing with excitement as he scribbled on a tablet and the tiny voice he'd been arguing with in the shower cheered.

Not getting ahead of himself, Bruce half smiled and asked, “Tony, what's up?”

Tony looked up and seemed flustered for a slight moment before the manic excitement took back over. “Get dressed quick. We've got work to do!”

Bruce grabbed his clothes and ducked back into the bathroom to get dressed. As he pulled his pants on, he called through the door, “I take it you had an epiphany about our experiment?”

“No, I get this excited anytime I catch you naked.” Bruce could practically hear Tony rolling his eyes. Without skipping a beat, he added, “Of course I did!”

His response didn't sound at all forced or uncomfortable and that put Bruce at ease. Whatever happened last night, Tony was like his old self again. While Bruce slid on his shirt, Stark called through the door, “I almost came in there and dragged your ass out of the shower, you were taking so long.”

Turning bright red, Bruce hung up his towel and pushed the door open as he worked on the buttons. “Well, I appreciate your self control.”

“Come on, come on.” Stark put an arm around Bruce and held up the tablet as he led them out the door and down the hall.

Surprising himself, Bruce didn't stiffen up. If anything, he found himself relaxing into Tony's arm. He still wasn't entirely sure about where he woke up this morning, but it had been a long time since he was really comfortable being touched so, for now, he was going to enjoy the closeness.

Tony didn't stop talking for more than a few seconds the entire way to the lab, as he enthusiastically explained his idea. It certainly sounded promising if they could figure out a safe amount of the mixture to use. By the time they set to work, Stark had finally calmed down enough to let Bruce get in more than a confirmation here and there. They spent the next hour working out the details, Tony making him laugh every few minutes. The doctor couldn't remember a time when work had been this much fun, this relaxed.

Then Clint showed up and, though he might have expected Tony to lay off, Stark seemed to up the ante, going full blown flirt. He kept catching Barton eying them up and expected to get teased. The fact that Clint didn't tease them, actually worried Bruce a bit, but he tucked that aside and kept a smile on. He playfully shoved Tony out of the way of the microscope and explained the whole experiment. It took about an hour, but when Clint finally left, Bruce let out a heavy breath.

Turning back to the microscope, he asked without looking up, “Did Clint seem off to you?”

Tony looked up from a holoscreen, confused. “Aside from his sudden interest in science?”

Bruce shrugged. “It was probably nothing.” Suddenly Tony's hand was on his shoulder, pulling him up from his work.

Tony wore a serious expression for the first time all morning. “What is it?”

Bruce pushed his glasses up and after a moment's hesitation, answered, “He might have just been off his game but did you notice how he actually listened the whole time? He didn't crack any of his usual jokes when we basically flooded him with technical talk that he definitely didn't understand. He didn't make fun of us or anything, just kept staring.” _And you were twice the flirt you usually are._ Bruce kept that one to himself, not quite ready to have that talk.

The gears were turning as Tony paused pensively. Finally he responded, “Do you think it has anything to do with Tasha's visit with Fury this morning?”

This was news. “I didn't realize she-” he allowed his voice to trail off.

Tony nodded. “She didn't say anything, but JARVIS keeps tabs on people coming and going. Given some of our team's propensity for getting in over their heads and not asking for help-” And Tony was the most guilty of this. “It's good to have an idea of who is where. She took one of the Quinjets out early this morning and was headed towards the Helicarrier.”

“I see.” Bruce considered this. He would have liked for this to be unrelated to himself and Tony, but he couldn't shake the feeling. “It's possible, though we have no way of finding out what that meeting was about.”

“Mmm, you have no way maybe, but I can certainly look into it,” Tony replied with a mischievous grin. “I still have three of their computers bugged from our last debriefing.”

“Tony, that was two months ago. Are you sure they haven't found them?”

“Oh they found the other eleven.” He smirked. “I'll have to make a point to drop in again soon.”

Bruce sighed and laughed slightly. If there was one thing that would never change, it'd be Tony's need to have his fingers in everything. “While you handle that, I think I might try a more hands on approach.”

“Go get 'em Big Guy!” Tony raised a fist laughing before turning back to his tablet.

* * *

 Clint had given pause in his pursuit of Natasha, at least long enough to grab some lunch. It was clear that Romanov didn't want to be found but he'd try again after eating. At least, that was the plan before Doctor Banner showed up. In their time on the team, Clint and Bruce had settled into a comfortable friendship. He had gained a good deal of respect for the doctor and when Banner wasn't going on and on about his research, they had a pretty good time. The lunch that would have been a quick bite to eat before continuing to track down Romanov turned into a casual affair, catching up with his friend.

“I've missed the company during yoga,” Bruce spoke, his voice guarded. In fairness, Clint had been absent from most their yoga sessions since the Winter Soldier incident, not wanting to spend an hour stretching and balancing next to Natasha. He had also been missing Bruce's company.

“Sorry man. Things are still weird with Nat.”

Bruce smiled sympathetically. “I'm sure things will get back to normal. We can't all just move on to the next mission so easily.”

It always put Barton on edge when Bruce spoke like that, like he knew what it was like for them at SHIELD or even before. He tried to keep the tension from showing and changed the subject, “So Tony seemed like he was in a much better mood today than he has been lately.”

Bruce gave half a nod, his expression neutral.

“I mean, I know Cap's kind of dense and thought he was distracted by something good, but arguing with him hasn't been any fun for a couple weeks now. Any idea what that was all about?” Clint watched from the corner of his eye, still more observant than most head on.

Hesitating, Bruce seemed to be struggling over his word choice. “I don't know all the details, but I don't believe we will be seeing Ms. Potts again.”

Clint winced. “Ouch! That bad?”

“Well, she's been his friend for longer than any of us have known him, so maybe they'll work it out, but I wouldn't count on that happening anytime soon.”

_Did he actually sound hopeful when he said that?_ With a shrug, Barton replied, “I almost feel bad for having been so hard on him. I mean, he totally deserved it, but it's not cool to kick a man when he's down.”

Banner definitely bristled at that. “No one deserves to be-” he paused, clearly amending his words. “To lose someone they love.”

Although Clint knew he was pushing it, he wanted to be sure. “Stark? Love? Isn't he too narcissistic for that?”

Clint could almost hear the anger bubbling up next to him, but the doctor just stood up and walked to the door. Without turning back, in a very controlled voice, Bruce spoke, “Maybe you should worry about your own love problems, Clint.”

Clint waited until he could no longer hear Bruce's footsteps in the hall and let out a deep breath he didn't realize he was holding. Yeah, he definitely went too far with that last comment, but Banner's reactions told him half the story. Perhaps before finding Natasha, he would go have a heart-to-heart with Stark for the other half.


	7. Defusing the bomb

 Fuming, Bruce stormed down the hall. It was one thing for them to go at it face-to-face, but to say something like that about Tony behind his back was another thing all together. Bruce realized how defensive he was being, but after seeing Tony so vulnerable the night before, he just couldn't help it. With friends like that it was no wonder Stark kept it all in, seeking solace at the bottom of a bottle rather than from another person.

Although anger was the key to keeping control of the “Other Guy,” the fire now burning just below his skin warned how dangerously close Banner was to over doing it. Tony had plenty to keep him distracted, so Bruce decided to take an hour or two on the mat. Instead of taking the elevator back up to his lab, he rode down to the gym that had been designated for the yoga sessions the doctor had managed to get half of the team doing regularly. Stark had even sound proofed the room and cut it off from the rest of the tech that made up the tower's lifeblood. An hour of quiet yoga and he'd have it back under control.

He slammed the panel and the door whooshed open causing someone inside to scramble. Natasha had a hand on her gun and was ready to strike. Bruce startled enough to push down some of the anger fighting to get out and laughed a little. “Yoga only works if you relax Tasha.”

She let out a breath and replied, “Sorry, Bruce. I'm on edge today.” Although she eased somewhat, taking a more casual stance and sliding the gun back into the its nearly invisible holster, Romanov's vigilant green eyes still scanned the room with a sense of alarm. It reminded Bruce of that day so long ago on the helicarrier. _Had it really been that long since she'd looked at him with genuine fear?_

“You and me both,” he managed. As casually as he could, Bruce walked into the room and laid out his mat. “Did your meeting with Fury go that bad?” he asked, realizing after he spoke that it probably wasn't the best approach. Spies rarely appreciated being called out on their secrets.

Natasha remained tense and Bruce thought he heard her breath hitch before she responded in the cold tone that she always employed when speaking of SHIELD business, “No, that was standard procedure, as expected.” 

The doctor had doubted that the meeting was significant when Tony suggested it anyway, but he also didn't know that both Clint and Natasha were upset. As far as he knew, she had no reason to suspect anything about himself and Tony. _Clint wouldn't have said anything with their relationship being on the rocks, right?_

When she continued speaking, her tone softened. “Just ran into Clint earlier.” She glanced his way, questioningly, but her lips remained pursed.

A wry grin crossed his face and Bruce replied, “Really. You and me both. He's in rare form today, huh?”

She nodded slowly and shifted on her mat, gracefully taking a perfect _natarajasana_ , her left foot, high above her head. Bruce envied her flexibility momentarily before returning his focus on his breathing.

Several minutes passed before either spoke again. Natasha broke the silence. “Don't be too angry with him. I put him in a bad mood.”

Taking another deep breath, Bruce responded, “A bad mood can only excuse so much and even in the worst mood, there's got to be something to what you're saying.” His temper won out against his better judgment. He motioned around him and asked, “I mean, who accepts all this, all the equipment and training space and tech, this home for our team and then turns around and trash talks the man who eagerly provided all of it?”

Bruce only half noticed Natasha gliding out of the _natarajasana_ as he continued ranting, growing angrier with each word, “Tony would give us anything we wanted. He's always going over the top for the team, even when it means his company suffers and he gets crap from the board. Not to mention he's saved all our lives on the battlefield. Shit! There's no excuse to say he deserves the only serious girlfriend he's ever had cheating on him with one of his best friends and-” A deep throaty growl cut off that line of thought, his vision going green around the edges.

* * *

 It was a rare day that Stark remembered to eat while engaged in the lab or garage. However, having skipped breakfast all together and Bruce (who made a habit of dragging him out of the lab for lunch and dinner) still gone, Tony's stomach was making loud and uncomfortable demands. He checked the SHIELD bugs quickly, still finding nothing more than a note that Romanov had been there, and strut out of the lab, only to collide face first with Barton.

“Hey, Legolas, watch where you're going,” Tony chided, barely regaining his footing.

Clint ignored the jab and asked, a touch of panic in his voice, “Hey, have you seen Banner? Did he come back up here?”

“Bruce?” As if that panic were contagious, Tony's whole body tensed. “No, what happened?”

“I don't know, man. We were talking, just shooting breeze and outta nowhere, he flipped the fuck out!” Barton insisted, defensively.

“What did you do?” The amount of anger that came out with that demand surprised Tony. He'd always been defensive of people who were important to him but this was sudden, unexpected and overwhelming.

“Me?!” Clint scoffed. “I didn't do shit! All I said was he needed to calm down before he turned into that _thing_.”

Tony wasn't certain that Clint had actually emphasized _thing_ , but now Clint was clutching a bloodied nose. Shaking his balled up fist, Stark pushed past Barton and rushed down the hall. As soon as his private elevator door whooshed close, he demanded in a dark voice, “JARVIS, where is Bruce?”

* * *

 “You're right. You're right,” she insisted, trying to hide the panic in her voice. She was going to personally wring Clint's neck when she got out of here. _What the hell had he been thinking?_

Bruce closed his eyes and took a deep breath while Natasha continued. “He gets really stupid over me but I promise, he already regrets even thinking it, much less saying it.” Although her hand was wrapped around the injector in her pocket, Natasha hoped it wouldn't come to that. She stepped a little closer and spoke as calmly as she could, “We all know the team wouldn't have lasted without Stark, if we could have even worked together in the first place.

“Fury didn't want to bring him in, you know? He was going to keep Stark as a consultant on the project but I told him that was a mistake, that the Avengers needed Tony as much as we needed Iron Man.” She was bluffing but knew it was convincing. Everyone, Tony included, believed Fury barely tolerated the billionaire, so it made an easy lie. “Clint knows that. He always throws fits like this though. If you only heard some of the awful things he's said to my face when he was mad.” She didn't have to force the dry laugh that escaped her throat. That last part had been true.

Her next words were cut off as the door slid open and Tony flew in, battle ready sans the suit. “Bruce?” he demanded. “Are you okay?” His dark brown eyes locked onto Bruce, taking no notice of Natasha at all. Anger and fear radiated off his entire body.

Bruce let out a heavy sigh catching Natasha's attention. His whole body had relaxed again and, though she could hope it was because her words had reached him, Tony's sudden arrival seemed suspect. “I'm fine, Tony. Just needed to not think for a little while.” He looked up with that humoring smile and eyes devoid of green. “I know you can work three days straight in that lab without coming up for air, but the rest of us need a break every now and then.”

“Three? I can do five straight on a good week.” Tony loosened up but his gaze remained skeptical when he shrugged. “Yeah, yeah, the rest of the world doesn't run on batteries.” He smiled wryly and reached out to Bruce. “Come on, break's over. I need your input on the next step.”

Although Natasha was certain Tony was still upset under the mask, Bruce had genuinely calmed down and that was enough to regain her composure. She put on a smile and spoke, “It was a good session Bruce, but I need to get back to work anyway.”

A quiet nod and a knowing look were the only response Natasha got, but she took that and left the room for the first time since her run in with Clint. He'd be able to find her now, which was exactly what she wanted.

 

 


	8. Their secrets have secrets

As soon as the door clicked shut behind Natasha, Tony tensed right back up and asked, “Really, are you okay?”

“Yeah, Tasha calmed me down.” Bruce nodded as he rolled up his mat.

“I ran into Barton and he told me what he said to you. I gave him a bloody nose for it.” Tony smirked, letting some of the anger bleed from his expression.

Bruce took slight satisfaction in that mental image, though he was a little surprised. Even when fighting with Steve, he'd rarely seen Tony baited into throwing a punch. Suspicion that this cheery mood of Stark's was just a mask crept up on Bruce. With a slight hesitation, he asked, “Are you okay, Tony?”

The smile that answered him was too warm to doubt. “Sure, so long as Barton knows when to keep his damn mouth shut. No one gets to trash talk the smartest man on the team without dealing with me.”

In an instant he immediately regretted, Barton's “too narcissistic for that” replayed in his head. Bruce shoved his rolled up mat back in the corner and turned back to Tony with a begrudging smile. “No, wouldn't want to do that, would we.”

Confusion crossed Tony's face but he quickly shook it off. “So did you manage to get anything out of either of them about what was wrong with Barton? Aside from him being an ass?”

Bruce shook his head. “Not anything specific. Although, I'm pretty sure it had nothing to do with SHIELD. Clint's been avoiding Tasha and, though she seemed surprised that I knew about this morning, it sounded like it was just business as usual. She's ticked with Barton too, so it's probably just the two of them still sorting each other out.”

“Well, they need to sort it faster. I've got no patience for this crap.”

* * *

_Damn, hadn't counted on him actually throwing a punch._ In front of his bathroom mirror, Clint ran water over a wash cloth, blood tinting the water pink. Stark hadn't hit him hard enough to break his nose but that had more to do with Barton's reflexes than anything else.

He didn't hear her approach but Clint caught Natasha's movement out of the corner of his eyes. “Come out of hiding finally?”

She stepped to his side and took the wash cloth, wiping at a streak of blood on his chin. “You mean you didn't send the Hulk to scare me out?”

“Shit!” Panic ripped through him and he swung around to face her, inspecting for injury. “Bruce didn't actually Hulk out, did he?”

Deadpanned, Natasha answered, “Yes, Clint, that's why I casually strolled in here, unscathed, to clean up the mess Stark made of your face.”

The tension left as quickly as it came and Clint let out a heavy breath. “How did you know it was Tony?”

“Lucky guess. Seriously though, Bruce was close. I was able to talk him down but it coulda gone south real easy. What the hell were you thinking?”

Clint glared, snatching back the bloody cloth and returned to the mirror. “You first, Nat. First you're toting around that tranq and then you go off the map all day, not to mention your seemingly off the record chitchat with the director this morning. What's going on?”

Natasha paused, sighed and finally pulled out a slim camera phone. As she pushed buttons on the device, she explained, “I've been keeping an eye on Stark for a couple months now. Between conversations with Potts and this-” She held up the camera to reveal a picture of Pepper, her lips planted firmly on Happy Hogan's.

_Well, that explains what Bruce was so defensive about._

“I knew we could have a serious problem on our hands. If Stark relapsed, took the suit out under the influence, the Avengers would be held responsible.” Her voice softened when she added, “And Tony would never forgive himself if he hurt someone while he was like that.”

Going somber again, Natasha continued, “You were avoiding me and Steve's too direct. He woulda wanted to tackle this head on, force Stark into AA or something. We both know that'd only blow up in all our faces, so I handled it on my own. At least, I tried. Two nights ago, Stark took the suit out after he's been drinking all day. He kept on target with Hydra but nearly got himself killed. I arranged to meet with Fury as soon as possible because I sure as hell wasn't trusting Hill to handle this. SHIELD had no record of this assignment anyway.”

_Of course, another off the books mission for the Widow._ Clint kept his disapproval to himself, not wanting to add that to their argument. Instead, he played like he didn't know and asked, “But what's this got to do with Bruce and the tranq?”

Natasha pushed another couple buttons on the phone. “While I waited on Fury, Banner took matters into his own hands.” She held up the camera again, scrolling through images of Tony and Bruce: Bruce discovering Stark in the broken Iron Man suit; the Hulk ripping the suit off; Banner practically carrying him back into the building; the doctor stitching him back up; the pair shouting at each other; Bruce going green; both taking drink after drink from a flask; both completely solemn. She flashed through the images so quickly that anyone else would have been lost, but Barton registered each photo, processing the scene each presented, calculating the risk almost as quickly as Natasha could skip to the next photo.

The last image caught Clint off guard, despite his earlier suspicions. When Tony slept, it was fitful and involved a mess of blanket and sheet tangled around him and pillows on the floor. When Bruce slept, it was always light and panicky, like he was faking it, ready to run at a moment's notice. The image he faced showed a completely different story. It couldn't have been comfortable, two grown men sharing that couch, but if either were cramped, they weren't showing it. Clint had never seen either of them so peaceful, so content. 

It made Clint miss nights when he and Natasha slept like that.

* * *

 After returning to their work, Bruce kept his distance but Tony started right back in. He kept invading Bruce's space, despite the doctor not responding in kind. He kept bragging about Clint's face and what he was going to do if Clint tried to talk like that again. Finally, Bruce had enough, rolled his eyes and told Stark to knock it off.

“What's your problem?” Tony asked, his face contorted with confusion.

“I'm sick of the ego, alright? I know it's just another suit of armor to hide behind and I've seen you unarmed, so please, stop faking it,” Bruce pleaded, wanting anything to confirm that Tony remembered opening up to him the other night.

“Ego? I'm pissed at Clint because of what he said to you. What's that got to do with my ego? I mean, yeah, I hit him pretty hard and I guess bragging about kicking a master assassin’s ass is a little cocky, even for me, but he deserved it. He had no right to talk to you like that.”

Incredulous, Bruce asked, “You're kidding, right?”

The gears started turning in Tony's head and after a moment, he asked, “Bruce, what did Barton say to you?”

_What did he- Oh!_ Bruce's thoughts stopped dead when he reached the same point Tony had. “He was just trying to bait us.”

“God damn spies,” Tony muttered. They both stood awkwardly for a moment before Tony asked again, “So, what did he really say to make you so angry?”

Bruce's face flushed red. He stammered, “He uh- he had asked if I knew why you'd been so down for the past few weeks. I didn't give him anything specific but I told him we probably wouldn't be seeing Pepper for a while. He started in on how you deserved it. I thought he was just being Clint at first but when I said that you loved her-” Bruce paused. “He uh- said you were too narcissistic for that.”

“Oh,” Tony responded, sounding a little surprised.

His mind swimming, Bruce didn't make eye contact. He expected Tony's eyes to be filled with discomfort and rejection. Then it hit him. “What did he say to you?”

Tony swore under his breath before answering, “I should have known better. You wouldn't get so angry over a personal insult.”

Bruce glanced up cautiously. “You punched Clint because he insulted me?”

Tony's eyes blazed as they locked onto Banner's, taking him by surprise. “Why are you so damn hard on yourself? I get that I'm an alcoholic and I had been drinking when I said all that the other night, but I meant it Bruce. You're the strongest man I know. You picked me up when I fell. You made me talk. You asked all the right questions. On top of all that, you opened up to me. Do you know how many people have ever done that? How many people have really, completely earned my trust?”

“I just-” Bruce started only to be cut off.

“And you almost lost control because he called me narcissistic? I have text book narcissism, diagnosed by Romanov and everything. That's not a big deal,” Tony dismissed.

_How could he just blow that off?_ The anger funneled up inside him again just thinking about it and Bruce demanded in a challenging voice, “Too narcissistic to love?! That's a pretty big deal! You care more about this team and everyone on it than anyone else. You put everything into us, your time, energy, money. You put your business on the line and and your life on the line all the time. Maybe you have more to give than most, but no one else gives as much of what they do have as you do.”

Bruce managed to stop himself before getting too personal, but all the other defenses ran through his head. Tony trusted him, made him feel important and even loved and the doctor felt the overwhelming need for Tony to know just that.

Tony just smiled. “Is this heart-to-heart going to end with cuddling?”

Bruce hadn't thought his face could get any redder. He was wrong. “Wasn't sure you even remembered that,” he managed.

“I wasn't that drunk,” Tony insisted with a laugh.

Neither was Bruce, but he kept that to himself.

“Just saying, if it does, can we skip the couch this time?” he asked, his voice almost playful. “It was a little cramped.”

“Are you trying to get me in your bed?” Bruce asked before he could stop the words from tumbling out his mouth.

Putting on a winning smile and waggling his eyebrows suggestively, Tony countered, “Interested?”

_Why couldn't he just give a straight answer?_ Tony was a shameless flirt and Bruce didn't want to screw up their friendship if he came across too interested. Still, maybe he could pass it off as a joke. Willing the blush away and his voice steady, he replied, “Only if you take me to dinner first. I'm a classy guy.”

The surprise on Tony's face would have made Bruce laugh if he weren't so afraid, but it vanished quickly enough. “Alright, let's go,” he replied with a broad grin and walked to the door. 

Bruce stared at the door, shock gluing his feet to the ground. Did he just ask Tony out on a date? And did Tony just agree? Before he could over think it, he broke his legs free and darted out the lab.

 


	9. We need a plan of attack

Natasha stared at Clint expectantly while he clutched her phone. When he finally looked up, she couldn't identify what was going through his mind. She didn't push though; she gave him time to process and formulate his response. Even if it was just work they were discussing, it felt good to be close to him, talking to him again. She'd never wanted to hurt Clint. Everything had just been so confusing when James showed up.

Finally, he spoke, “You were always so much better at the recon work. Give me a target to eliminate? No problem. But this? This is quality work.” He sighed, running hands through his hair. “I was sloppy. Figured I could get them to tell me. Well, they did, even if it almost got my nose broken and almost got us a visit from the Hulk.”

There was nothing false in that, but still, Natasha hated it when Clint went so hard on himself. “I was trained for this from before I can remember.”

“Yeah, well, I still fucked up, Nat, but I can't look at this, like you do. I mean, I get it. If Stark isn't careful, Bruce could lose control and we all know Stark's track history with relationships. Even with Pepper, they were fighting every other week and broken up at least once a month. Odds are, Bruce is going to get hurt.” Then Clint's blue eyes locked onto hers. “But you took this all to Fury, didn't you?”

She hated that look, the disappointment. She was used to it from most. Natasha had all the training of the Black Widow and could easily follow orders that most would hesitate with, so she got that look all the time. But from Clint, it hurt. She tried to explain, “I know you as good as cut ties with SHIELD, but Nick has been the only one I could talk with about this. He's more than earned my trust; you know that. He's kept everything, even this last part, off the record.”

“And what about when he doesn't, huh? What about when he decides this is too high a risk or worse, Stark fucks up and Fury brings SHIELD in to contain the Hulk? We're on a team here, Nat and this is something the team should handle. We need to protect each other, especially from SHIELD getting involved. We're Avengers now. They've given us a family, a home.” He hesitated before adding, “I don't want to lose that again.”

 The entire ride to the restaurant was an encore of the argument in Bruce's head that morning. Tony didn't seem to notice though and had cheered up considerably. Despite the internal conflict, dinner was actually quite enjoyable. Tony took him to nice Indian place, softly lit with candles at each table. Waitstaff appeared and disappeared between sips, topping off their glasses. Once or twice, Bruce could have sworn he hadn't even taken a drink when the staff refilled his glass. The food was incredible and closer than he would have expected to authentic outside of India. And Tony not only turned up the charm, but didn't drink, even when they offered him a complimentary bottle of their best wine, giving credence to the voice in the back of his mind insisting that this was more than just two friends bonding.

They discussed some of the latest work Stark Industries had been producing. In the past few weeks, Tony hadn't been in the office much and so Bruce was bringing him up to speed. Aside from his personal projects, Banner spent plenty of time giving input to several of the R&D departments. The medical research and development had some pretty interesting projects in particular.

“So, these viruses are being engineered to infect the cells surrounding damaged nervous tissue and trigger mitosis. It took a while to isolate exactly what genes needed to be triggered in order for nervous tissue to begin cellular division, and given the particular combination, it's no wonder natural healing of nerves is so rare. In the long run, we should be able to use this treatment to regenerate the nerves of those with traumatic injuries and several forms of paralysis.

“It's really quite incredible watching crushed nerves, that otherwise would have had almost no chance of ever functioning again, repair themselves in as little as a few days,” Bruce explained, getting lost in the excitement that he had drowned out the fighting in the back of his head. “We're still about a year off from human studies, but it's all been very promising.”

Tony smiled serenely as he listened. Noticing the atypical smile, Bruce asked, “What?”

“Fifty-seven,” Tony answered casually.

“Huh?”

“Fifty-seven,” Tony repeated. “That's how many products, formulas and innovations Stark Industries has made that you had a hand in. I'd say this one will make fifty-eight, but you'll get more finished before this one given the time involved getting passed the FDA.”

Bruce blushed. “You keep count?”

“Well, it is my company. I should know who is responsible for what developments,” he answered. “Besides, it's been important when explaining to the Board why you're our best paid consultant. Well, the best paid next to Richards, but he provides his own equipment that is both costly and constantly needing to be replaced.”

“Wait, what?” Bruce's face dropped as he tried to process that. “Tony, what do you mean paid consultant?”

Tony gave him a confused look. “Bruce, remember that packet I gave you, back when you agreed to stay at the tower for a month, while I went through a friend in the FBI and had them create a whole new identity like they do for people in witness protection?”

Bruce had been carrying around the license, passport and credit cards of one Glenn Summers for years now. Of course, Tony convinced him to stay before the end of the month, so he didn't really need the identity anymore. He nodded a little bit. “Yeah but what's that have to do with working for Stark Industries?”

“With, not for. I set you up as a consultant for our R&D, so we could work together and you'd have what you needed to start any new life you wanted. You didn't even have a non-compete clause and believe me, the Board was not pleased with that.”

Completely speechless, Bruce just stared, listening.

“I wanted to make sure that no matter what happened, you got to keep your new life, even if you decided not to stay. You made enough in that first month to support yourself comfortably anywhere you might want to go.” Tony's dark brown eyes locked onto his, sincere and warm. “I'm glad you decided to stay though.”

“I- I just,” Bruce struggled for words. “This is too much Tony.”

Tony reached across the table and placed a hand on top of his. “Nonsense. It was the least I could do after you saved my life. As far as Stark Industries goes, you've more than made up for it and honestly, for me it'd have been worth it for just that first week.”

 It took a few moments for Clint to realize how vulnerable he let himself be. Only with Natasha could he open up like that. Even though it still hurt, he was glad to know he still could. He reached for her hand.

Natasha took his hand and gave it a squeeze. She opened her mouth to speak only to shut it without a word.

“You're part of that family too, Nat. Any of us would defend you just the same.” There was something in that he was afraid to say.

Finally, after another squeeze of his hand, she asked, “Are _we_ okay, Clint?”

He paused. It had been months and the lies and secrets and seeing her in _his_ arms still cut him deeper than he knew he could feel. Still, as he met her green eyes, Clint knew he couldn't lose her. “We're partners, Nat. You're stuck with me.”

Most wouldn't have seen the touch of tension she'd been carrying for months ease away, nor would they have caught the briefest flash of a smile that crossed her lips. Clint wasn't most people. He tightened his hand around hers and as he pulled it back, his thumb lingered at her pulse. They could say so much without a single word.

“So, how do we fix this?” Barton asked, sliding back into the agent mindset.

“We need to assure that Stark doesn't screw up and that Bruce doesn't lose control. So long as we can do that, Nick has no reason to get SHIELD involved.” A smug grin formed on Natasha's lips. “Which one do you want?”

Clint winced. His nose still hurt and Bruce was the more forgiving of the two. “You take Stark. I'll get the Big Guy.”

Natasha almost laughed. “JARVIS, where are Mr. Stark and Dr. Banner?”

“Mr. Stark and Dr. Banner left the tower approximately ten minutes ago,” the AI replied.

“Where did they go?”

“They did not specify. Shall I call Mr. Stark for you?”

“No thank you. Could you let me know when they return?” 

“Yes, Miss Romanov. Will that be all?”

“Yes, thank you JARVIS.”

Clint sighed. “Well, what do we do til then?”

Natasha glanced at his bed with a teasing smile.

 


	10. I remember these steps

Thor wandered into Bruce's lab and the lights flickered on automatically. He hadn't heard from Bruce or Tony all day and finally he decided to go looking for them himself. After their experiment, Banner had assured Thor that the compound that had weakened him so was safely locked away, but something else had him on edge and he wasn't all together sure what it could be. It felt as if something was calling him to this lab.

He'd never been particularly skilled with magic; that was always Loki's gift. His heart ached for a moment thinking of his brother, but he forced that aside: not entirely away, for the ache was always with Thor ever since the day Odin had banished him to Earth all those years ago, but just far enough out of sight for Thor to focus. Really, despite what he's told Jane back then, Asgard's science was so so far removed from Midgard's and so engrossed in magic, that he really had no clue what went on in this lab. He was still curious.

As he wandered amidst the equipment, he noticed a large freezer in the back that seemed to be glowing. Perplexed, he walked over and touched the door. The faint glow intensified. Opening the door, two things caught his attention. The first was a white box with bright yellow warnings of “Biohazard” and “Do not open” despite the key pad lock that sealed it. Just looking at it hurt. Thor assumed that was where the Doctor stored the compound and he kept his distance. The second, however, was a nondescript gray case which was surrounded by an intense golden glow.

Cautiously, he removed the case from the freezer and set it on the nearest counter. Thor lifted the lid revealing a small pile of tiny misshapen pieces of metal. Stunned, he stared at the treasure that had been so carelessly shoved away.

* * *

 

The surprise on Clint's face delighted Natasha, though not nearly as much as the smile which replaced it. She slid towards him in a slow fluid motion, reached out and traced his jaw with a delicate touch. Her vigilant mossy eyes took in every detail, seeking some small reassurance that this was what he genuinely wanted.

Clint shifted to face her full on and she found the confirmation she needed in his hand settling on her thigh. He reached up with his other hand and touched her cheek, leaned in and pressed his chapped lips firm against hers. Reaching around to unzip her suit, Natasha licked his lips, savoring his taste. “I've missed you.”

“Mmmm, missed you too,” Clint answered, his hands eagerly reaching for the expanse of skin she exposed. Every touch sent jolts of pleasure ripping through her, just like the first time, so long ago when Barton disregarded his mission, made a different call. Only Clint could touch her like this, give her a fresh start each time, baptizing her in carnal bliss, forgiving her with sensual moans.

Clothing discarded to a pile on the floor, Natasha peppered his neck and chest with kisses, licks and bites, leaving her claim in the form of tiny bruises, while his nails grazed down her back and settled on her hips. He pulled questioningly, pleading, earning a teasing smile. It had been too long to rush this.

Natasha needed this to last, needed to hear him beg: his desperation, her addiction. The trail of bruises forming down his chest headed further south as she slid out of his grip, her hands tracing his sides down until she held his hips as he'd held hers only moments ago. Her teeth grazed his inner thigh eliciting a delicious moan. Looking up to meet his pale blue gaze, her tongue danced back up and circled oh so close, her warm breath closing the distance between her mouth and his erection.

He let out a gasp, his hands rushing for her hair, fingers threading through her crimson curls. Still, he didn't speak. Natasha needed to hear him beg. She inched closer, the tip of her tongue lightly gliding the entire length of his prick. Another moan escaped Clint's lips, this time more demanding as he tightened his grip in her hair. She wouldn't ask, only take.

Her tongue lingering at the tip, Natasha dug her nails into his hips and circled his cock, catching the salty sweet drops that had seeped out at her teasing. Her lids involuntarily fluttered at the memories invoked by the taste of him but she quickly forced control, locking her gaze on him once more. Letting her mouth drift down, she grazed his length ever so gently with glistening teeth. Clint finally broke, begging between ragged breaths, “Please Nat, god please.”

Suckling him as she pulled her mouth away, Natasha smiled and gave her entire self over to the one man who'd ever truly touched her so completely.

* * *

 

When Clint strolled into the kitchen, his hair a mess and fresh bruises barely covered, he found Steve chopping up some onion for a salad. “Hey Cap!” he greeted cheerfully.

Steve nodded, moving on to a cucumber. “Evening Clint.” Cucumbers added, he grabbed a pepper. “Quiet in the tower tonight.”

“Mmmhmm,” Clint murmured in agreement, slipping the oven door open and eying up the foil covered pan inside. “Whatcha making?”

“Lasagna,” he answered and held up the bowl. “And a salad.” Steve added some mushrooms and a bit of dressing before tossing the salad. “There's plenty if you'd like some.” As if on cue, the timer on the oven dinged.

“Thanks man,” Clint responded. He reached into the cabinet and grabbed plates, bowls and flatware, two of each. He filled the bowls with salad while Steve pulled the lasagna out of the oven and scooped a slice onto each plate.

“You'll be eating in your room?” Steve asked casually.

“Yeah, yeah,” Clint answered as he reached over and scooped a second slice on his plate. Giving Steve a smile, he added, “If I wait, there won't be seconds.” That was true enough. Steve's lasagna was a team favorite and with Steve, Thor and Bruce's enhanced appetites, even the large pan didn't last long. It made a convincing excuse to take enough back for both himself and Tasha without letting on that they were back together.

Steve nodded and ordered, “Make sure those dishes get back to the sink when you're done.”

“Sure thing, Cap.” Steve could be a real hard ass about that kind of thing. Clint chalked it up to his time in the military.


	11. Let me move within you

On the ride home, music drifted up through the open top into the cool night air but Bruce seemed wrapped up in his thoughts as he stared out the window. Tony certainly couldn't escape his own. His phone had gone off with a notification from JARVIS not too long after they left warning that Natasha was looking for him and he'd instantly told JARVIS to disregard her request. He needed more time alone with Bruce, more time to sort his crippled emotions out and most important, more time to figure out what Bruce wanted.

The past two days had him looking at Bruce in a way he hadn't before. Well, a way he hadn't in a very long time anyway. When he'd first met Bruce, Tony had similar thoughts, but it didn't take him long to decide that Bruce was straight, not into him and not interested in risking a sexual relationship. Now, he wondered if he'd just given up too quickly. He wasn't the sort to play it safe, but Bruce was his best friend. He couldn't afford to screw this up. However, once those sort of thoughts started, there wasn't exactly a switch to just turn them off.

Glancing over at Bruce, Tony smiled, hoping his nervousness wasn't written all over his face. He was completely sober and so was Bruce. If anything happened tonight, it couldn't be blamed on the alcohol. He pulled into the garage and parked. Bruce peeked over anxiously. “So, did you want to get any more work done on the tags tonight?”

Tony shook his head. “It's late. Thor's probably already in bed and since Barton had to pull that shit earlier, I think we should wait until I feel less like slipping him a fake tag and letting Thor break his face.”

That got a laugh out of Bruce. “I really don't think he meant what he said to either of us. I think he was just trying to figure out what's going on with us.”

_So there was something going on?_ They stepped into the elevator and Tony pushed the button for his floor. “He could have just asked.”

Bruce seemed fixated on the numbers steadily rising. Three floors up, he asked in a hushed and hesitant voice, “What would you have said if he did?”

Tony froze. _What would he have said?_ A choked laugh escaped his throat. “I- I would-” A thought broke through the storm that was tearing through his mind: Bruce was asking. _He wouldn't ask if he wasn't interested, right?_ Tony turned to meet soft brown eyes and a flushed face and hoped he wasn't about to make a huge mistake.

He pressed Bruce hard and fast against the elevator wall, his lips desperately seeking Bruce's. Bruce's entire body tensed giving Tony a moment of certainty that he misread everything, that he'd fucked up. Then Bruce grabbed Tony's hair, fingers lacing through, pulling them closer together. Just as Tony's tongue met Bruce's, the elevator jolted to a stop, startling them apart.

Tony's heart pounded in his ears as the door slid open to make way for Steve. Rogers gave them each a nod and pushed the button for his own floor.

“Evening, Dr. Banner. Stark,” Steve greeted them with a polite smile.

“Good evening, Steve,” Bruce managed to reply, sounding only slightly uncomfortable.

_How did he get his voice so steady?_ Tony forced a laugh and asked in his own faltering voice, “Isn't it past your bed time, Spangles?”

Steve shot Tony a disapproving look and Tony was almost certain Rogers had heard his breathlessness. “There's still half a pan of lasagna in the main fridge if you two remember to take a break sometime tonight.” The elevator stopped at Rogers' floor and he stepped out. “Have fun with your experiment, but do try to get _some_ sleep.”

As the door closed, Bruce and Tony both broke down laughing.

“Oh god,” Tony spoke in between laughs. “That was so close!”

“Anyone else,” Bruce replied, letting out a relieved sigh. “Anyone else would have known.”

Tony could only imagine the look on Rogers' face had he seen them moments sooner. Hopefully, he'd never have to have _that_ conversation with 1940's sensibilities' Captain America.

The elevator stopped once more and opened up to Tony's floor. The laughter had helped to ease just enough of the tension for Tony to take Bruce's hand and lead him back to his room. He stopped at the door and turned to face Bruce. Once more, to be sure, Tony asked, “Is this-”

Before he could finish the question, Bruce answered with lips pressed to Tony's once more. He moaned into the kiss and opened the door behind them. Unexpectedly, Bruce took the lead and Tony followed as if his life depended on it. He'd always been in charge in the bedroom, whether with men or women, but as Bruce pushed him down to the bed, Tony wondered for a moment why it'd never been the other way around. However, when his dark gaze locked on to Bruce's soft brown eyes, he knew exactly why.

Bruce was the only person, the only one Tony ever completely trusted. The only one who had ever see him without any mask, any armor, completely exposed. And if Tony had his way, Bruce would always be the only one to see him this way.

Bruce kissed him again as he slid his hands under the hem of Tony's shirt, ever so slowly, easing the shirt up, dragging his nails up Tony's chest. He broke the kiss and slid the shirt over Tony's head. Then Bruce stopped, filling Tony with momentary terror that he'd changed his mind. Bruce dismissed his fear when he leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss on the arc reactor. It always rattled his nerves when people got too close to the reactor, an unfortunate side effect of his second father having ripped it out of him before leaving him to die. Even Pepper couldn't touch it without quickening his pulse in a bad way. Yet, as Bruce traced the edge where scarred skin met metal, warmth washed over him. Never would Tony have thought something so simple could touch him so deep. A desperate need to be touching Bruce overwhelmed Tony as he reached up and unbuttoned just enough buttons that he was able to slide Bruce's shirt off as well.

And then he was pinned to the bed, Bruce's mouth teasing his throat, hands in each other's hair. Teeth grazed just above his collar earning another moan from Tony. The litany of fantasies and wet dreams he'd buried away shortly after Bruce entered his life paled in comparison. Tony thrust up against Bruce and his hands grasped desperately, tugging his hair. Bruce murmured, “Pull harder.” Tony eagerly obliged, earning sharper bites in the dip above his clavicle.

Bruce pulled him into another deep kiss and made quick work of his pants, sliding them down just enough to get a solid grasp on his erection. Tony gasped and reached down to the button on Bruce's pants only to be stopped, a hand firmly gripping his wrist. Knowing he couldn't keep the fear and desperate pleading out of his dark eyes, he still met Bruce's gaze. The glowing green that stared back stunned Tony and broke his heart. _How could he have been so selfish?_

He fell back, eyes shooting to the ceiling and murmured an apology. “I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry.”

“Don't be sorry unless you're telling me to stop.” The certainty in Bruce's response shocked Tony almost as much as the hand now stroking his cock.

His eyes rolled back into his head and he fought to form coherent words. “But you- If I can't-”

“Shh,” Bruce hushed him, sliding down the bed. “I want this.”

Before Tony could speak, Bruce's lips met the tip of his leaking erection, tongue teasing the slit. He gave up on words, answering only with moans and a frantic grab for Bruce's hair. He gave Bruce's messy brown hair a tug and the doctor obliged, his lips parting to take in Tony's length.

* * *

Most of those who knew enough about Bruce and the “Other Guy” thought he just avoided sexuality all together. Even Betty, who had tried to engage him physically assumed he walked a path of celibacy rather than risk losing control. That couldn't be further from the truth. Like his anger, his sorrow and everything else, sexuality had become all about control for Bruce, a tantric practice of drawing out his orgasm as long as he could. This, however, was the first time he was able to exert that control with a partner.

His mouth worked up and down Tony's shaft again and again, taking his whole length deep into his throat, his nails digging into Tony's ass. The moans escaping Tony's mouth left him even harder, but Bruce had long since learned to prolong his own need for completion. Tony tensed and arched beneath him and Bruce eased up, slowing down and letting Tony's building orgasm cool down.

Tony whimpered and pulled harder on Bruce's hair. “Tease.”

That accusation brought a broad grin to Bruce's lips and, as he let Tony's cock slip out of his mouth, he retorted, “You have _no_ idea.”

Bruce slid back up the bed, kissing and biting his way up Tony's chest. He licked around the glowing reactor, nipped at both of Tony's nipples and ended with his lips slotting into Tony's once again. Tony moaned into his mouth as Bruce gripped his prick, his thumb circling the head. While his tongue danced with Tony's, Bruce's free hand unbuttoned his own pants and slid them down, kicking them off to the floor to join the rest of their clothing.

He pressed his own erection against Tony's and Tony's eyes shot open. Instead of the fear Bruce expected, he was met with eagerness in those dark brown eyes. He smiled as he broke away from the kiss and leaned over to the nightstand. Hoping, he pulled open the drawer and found exactly what he was looking for. As he reached for a condom and a bottle of lube, Tony met the back of his neck with teeth and his hand found Bruce's erection.

Bruce moaned before flipping over, pinning Tony's hands next to his head. “Not yet,” he chided with a dark smile.

Tony whimpered again but heeded the warning in Bruce's glowing green eyes.

Squirting a bit of the lube on his hand, Bruce moved back down the bed. He lapped up the dribble of precome sliding down Tony's shaft on his way. He lifted Tony's legs and teased his entrance with a lubed finger, eliciting a gasp and a slight spasm in his cock. Bruce circled inside Tony, firm and slow, while he leaned forward to lick the tip of his erection again.

Tony cursed past ragged breaths, begging, “Fuck- god please, fuck me.”

Committing that to memory, the desperate ache in Tony's voice, the ecstatic longing as he grit his teeth together, a second finger joined the first and Bruce murmured, “Mmm, soon.”

Twenty minutes later was soon by his standards, but for Tony, he was certain, it had been an eternity, and that brought him almost as deep a pleasure as the weeping and desperate begging mess Tony was when Bruce finally thrust into him.

* * *

When Tony finally woke, he was warm and sticky and smelled of sex. That all paled in comparison to the deep pleasure that filled him at the sight of Bruce's hand guarding the arc reactor. He couldn't decide if the gesture was protective or possessive but regardless, he wouldn't have it any other way.

 

 


	12. The morning after

Rarely one to sleep through the night, Tony found himself awake long before Bruce began to stir. He held still, wrapped around Bruce and watched him sleep. It didn't take long for his insecurities to get the better of him. One of the downsides to having at least five fully formed trains of thought at all times was the rapid pace in which the dark and fearful could develop.

There was no going back from this. Even if Bruce didn't immediately regret the night before, what happened when he came to his senses about Tony? What happened when he realized just how messed up Tony really was? What happened when Bruce left, like everyone else he had ever trusted? Everything he'd opened up about in the last few days turned shallow and selfish as he replayed it again and again.

When Tony felt Bruce begin to wake, he wasn't sure how long he'd been lost in thought. He glanced down as Bruce shifted in his arms, his hand sliding off the reactor. “Morning,” Tony managed, already missing the security of Bruce's warmth over his cold core. He could feel the bliss of the previous night and the familiar intimacy of the past few years slipping away and yet, could do nothing to stop it. Everything slid out of reach with Bruce's hand. _No, not out of reach._ All he had to do was muster the courage to reach over and take it back.

“Mmm morning,” Bruce murmured, not meeting Tony's gaze.

_Please just look up_ , Tony silently pleaded. If he could just see Bruce's eyes, he was somehow convinced that whatever he'd see there would make or break him. Expecting rejection, Tony reached for Bruce's hand and pulled it back atop the blue glow thrumming in his chest. He held Bruce there, letting himself believe for just a moment that he wouldn't fuck this up, that he could wake up like this again and again, that Bruce wouldn't run away.

“Um Tony?” Bruce asked.

“Yeah?”

“Can I have my hand back?”

Crushed, Tony mumbled an affirmative and let go of Bruce's hand. Bruce shot up out of the bed and ducked out the door without a glance toward him. Of course, it had been too good to be true. Tony sat up, swinging his feet over the side of the bed and buried his face in his hands. He knew better than to hope for anything more. He knew he didn't deserve to be happy. He didn't even deserve last night. 

“Tony?” Bruce asked anxiously, startling Tony from his self loathing thoughts. “What's wrong?”

He jolted up, meeting Bruce's worried brown eyes. “I- I thought you-” Tony stammered and then realized that Bruce was standing at the bathroom door, not the bedroom door.

The doctor glanced downward and asked, “Should I leave?”

Tony's feet hit the floor and after untangling himself from the sheet, he crossed the room and grabbed a hold of Bruce. One hand and his face were in Bruce's hair and the other hand pulled the doctor closer. Bruce flushed red and warm in Tony's embrace.

“Never,” Tony said, though it sounded more like a question than an answer, filled with unspoken pleading, begging even.

After a moment, the shock wore off and Bruce wrapped his own arms around Tony.

* * *

When Bruce left the bathroom only to find Tony with his face in his hands, his heart dropped. Tony regretted the night before. He was going want Bruce to leave. After finally finding a home, everything was slipping away. As much as it killed him, it was almost worth it having that one night. Almost.

“Tony, what's wrong?” he asked, his doubts filling in the answers already.

If it wasn't clearly hurting Tony, it would have been worth it. He'd spent so long dreading the day when he'd lose control and the “Other Guy” would hurt Tony that Bruce had never expected to be completely in control of himself when it finally happened. Of course, he'd taken advantage of Tony when he was hurting over Pepper. Bruce convinced him to open up, to make himself vulnerable and this was how he repaid that trust. Every ounce of hate he'd harbored for himself came back ten fold.

Dark brown eyes wide with shock, Tony stammered, “I- I thought you-”

_Thought I was gone already?_ Bruce stared at the ground, knowing he couldn't handle seeing Tony's face when he asked, “Should I leave?”

He heard Tony scramble, probably to cover himself up. Then, suddenly warm arms wrapped around him, pulling him close and tight. His mind went blank, offering no explanation.

“Never.” That one simple word, that single, desperate word dismissed every fear and doubt, even the ones Bruce hadn't realized he'd been holding onto. Tony wanted him here. He wrapped his arms around Tony and let out a heavy breath.

* * *

Tony would have loved to spend the whole day in bed with his new lover, learning Bruce's body, his kinks and preferences. Unfortunately, he had three meetings for SI that he absolutely could not miss (and another three he shouldn't have been planning to miss.) So, after an hour of holding each other in Tony's bed, he resigned himself to at least make an appearance. Bruce was all smiles, reassuring Tony that he wouldn't let Clint goad him again.

Neither expected Romanov on the other side of Tony's bedroom door.

“Natasha, I- er, to what do I owe this pleasure,” Tony managed.

“Morning Stark, Bruce,” she spoke, voice unwavering and untelling.

If Bruce had been shocked, Tony missed it; he greeted Natasha with a broad smile, “Good morning Tasha. Tony, I'll see you in the lab after your meeting but I'll make sure to run the scenario you suggested.”

Tony took the cue, nodded and added, “Don't forget to adjust for the density of the rhenium we'll be using in the final model.”

Without turning, Bruce waved over his shoulder on his way to the elevator and Tony turned his attention back to Romanov. “Just had to work out the next stage of our experiment before being CEO eats up most of my day,” he offered an unsolicited explanation. “What can I do for you? You'll have to make it quick, though; I need to be downstairs in five.”

“Your PA asked for a favor from Natalie Rushman,” said Natasha, holding up a folder and a tablet. “I'll be filling in for the next couple weeks.”

If it hadn't been for the night before, Tony probably would have broke right then and there. It still hurt that Pepper was making it official, but knowing that Bruce would be there for him helped him keep it together. “I see, well then, _Ms. Rushman_ , what's on the agenda for today?”

To his surprise, Natasha seemed to be genuinely filling in for Pepper. He didn't believe for a second that she was doing this without ulterior motives but nothing she did all morning so much as hinted to what those motives might be. She prepped him for all six meetings with a level of expertise that would put Potts to shame, giving Tony a new found respect for Romanov. Still, by the end of the third meeting, his curiosity got the better of him.

“So, Bruce said you might know why Barton was being such an ass yesterday,” he probed.

Hurt crossed her face but only for a moment. She turned to her watch and then answered, “It was my fault. He's still upset over James, so I really should keep my distance.”

If Tony had learned anything about Natasha over the years, it was that she cared far more than she was willing to admit. Suspecting her steady voice was just a mask, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I'm sure he'll come around. He's lucky to have someone like you on his side.”

Natasha paused and looked as though she were about to say something, but simply nodded.


	13. Things unspoken

Barton approached the door to the yoga room and stopped just shy. Hopefully, Bruce bought Natasha's explanation yesterday, or at least had calmed enough for this. He stepped up and opened the door, taking a couple tentative steps in and closing the door behind him.

Inside the room, Bruce didn't look up from the _adho mukha svanasana_. “Hello Clint.”

Without another step, he asked, “How did you know it was me and not Stark or Natasha?”

“Tony's much louder and I wouldn't have heard Natasha at all.”

Clint would have been able to tell as well, but it surprised him that Bruce picked up on that sort of thing. Of course, with as many years as the doctor had spent on the run, it made sense that he learned to pay close attention to the people in his space. He ran a hand through his hair and spoke nervously, “Yeah, so, about yesterday- I was being an ass.”

“Mmmhmm.”

“You know what they say, 'Misery loves company.' Even months later, Nat's still rubbing salt in the wounds.” He had to quickly dismiss a very kinky image that popped up in his head at that thought. “I really didn't mean what I said.”

Bruce casually rose and faced Clint, extending his hand which Barton took. “We're good, Clint. Now, did you just come here to apologize or are you going to keep me company today?”

Clint shrugged. “I figure if Nat shows up, I can ignore her.”

Smiling, Bruce responded, “Good. I've got a couple positions that require a partner if you want to give me a hand.”

Natasha had mentioned Bruce's recent interest in some of the more extreme yoga positions: _AcroYoga_ , she had called it. Even her descriptions hadn't prepared Clint for this. Not only were the positions complicated but they required two or even three people to coordinate their movements, balance and breathing perfectly. The biggest shocker, however, was being welcomed into Bruce's personal space.

This change in Bruce went much deeper than just his interactions with Stark. The once reserved and often anxious doctor was all smiles. Even when Clint lost his balance again, crashing on top of Bruce, he just laughed. There was no tension, no fighting the urge to run. Clint had never seen Bruce so relaxed. And damn if it wasn't contagious.

* * *

When Tony opened the door to the yoga room, he found Barton sprawled across Bruce's back and both laughing near hysterically. Jealousy flared up and he scowled. “It's been three hours Bruce. If you two are finished _relaxing_ , we've got work to do.”

Clint stopped laughing and scrambled off Bruce and to his feet. Barton's panicked reaction both amused Tony and fed into the sudden possessiveness that had overwhelmed him. Bruce, however, took his time to stop laughing and find his feet. His smile didn't waver as he spoke to them both. “Alright, Tony. See you tomorrow, Clint?”

Bruce looked at him expectantly and Clint gave him an anxious nod. “Yeah, I'll be here.”

Once the elevator door shut them in, Bruce put his arm around Tony's shoulder. “Nice angry face back there. I'm pretty sure you had him ready to run right up the air ducts.”

Not wanting Bruce to know just how real that jealous outburst had been, Tony nodded and forced his face to loosen. “What were you two doing anyway?”

“A two person variant on the _natarajasana._ It's a complex yoga position from a set Tasha and I do sometimes, but the balance with two men is much different than the balance with a man and a woman. Just when Clint thought he had it, he declared his victory over gravity and promptly fell, taking us both down.” Bruce was still smiling as he continued, “He showed up about twenty minutes into my session and apologized. He's definitely up to something though.”

Tony nodded. Natasha was too, but he'd hear Bruce out first.

“He gave me all sorts of weird looks when he thought I wasn't watching. He talked about relationship problems and brought you up a couple times never too far apart. I think he's trying to figure out what's going on between us. Yesterday, he baited us into defending each other. Today, he was trying to win over my confidence. 

“He didn't come right out and ask but I'm sure he was fishing for it. I might even give him a little bit tomorrow, if he keeps it up. Yoga's great with him around.” Bruce seemed so happy when he said that. 

Tony had always had a “don't touch my stuff” mentality but the sudden urge to kick Barton's ass and learn yoga took him by surprise. Bruce wasn't interested in Clint and Clint had Natasha. Bruce and Clint were just friends. But no amount of inner logic touched the pressing need to keep Bruce that much closer. He didn't even realize he was scowling until Bruce spoke up again.

“If you'd rather, I won't tell him,” said Bruce, both his smile and gaze dropping.

“That's probably best for now, don't you think.” It wasn't really a question. Until they knew what Clint and Natasha were up to, it'd be best if they kept their new relationship a secret. Of course, as soon as everything was settled, Tony planned to make many, very public appearances. He was anything but discrete and looked forward to showing off Bruce. “After all, Romanov's in on it too. I don't know if she and Barton are working against each other or just don't know what the other is after, but she didn't all of a sudden decide to fill in as my PA. She wants something and if I had to guess, it's the same info Barton's digging for.” 

* * *

Thor hadn't slept and it was catching up to him. It would be easier if he just went back to Asgard, but he was uncertain just how his father would react to this news, if Odin wasn't already aware. The compound which could drain the Asgardians of their magic was threat enough but this? He rolled the metallic bits between his fingers, pushing what little magic he could muster through it. No, not through it, but certainly into it. Try as he might, the magic just wouldn't pass. The metal absorbed anything he pushed its way.

 

He scooped up the rest of the bits and made a small pile on the concrete floor of the Green room. Tony had offered to attempt to make a room durable enough for Thor to practice with Mjölnir, but Thor had insisted it unnecessary. He wished now that he'd taken Tony up on the offer. For now, the room built in case Doctor Banner could not contain the Hulk would have to do. As he raised Mjölnir high above his head, electricity ripped around the hammer and down his arm. He slammed the hammer down on the pile of metal and the shock wave knocked him off his feet and the hammer from his hand. Stunned, Thor slowly approached the pile to find the little bits of metal which seemed untouched. Panic washed over the god. He called Mjölnir back to him and turned the hammer over in his hands. Three barely noticeable scuff marks now adorned the end where he struck the metal bits.

Silently, Thor hoped with all he had that Heimdall's all seeing eyes failed in this instant.


	14. Precarious perch

Try as he might, Bruce couldn't seem to stay focused on their work. When Tony asked, he dismissed it with a weak smile. “We're in hardware mode. This is your field, not mine.” He suspected they both knew better, but Tony let it slide and continued rattling on about Natasha's attempt to get him talking, about how he still wouldn't mind if their experiment wasn't completely successful since it'd mean Barton getting his ass handed to him by Thor, about his latest suit and modifications that were going slow and maybe Bruce could help with that. Though Tony had a tendency to ramble, he and Bruce often settled into a comfortable silence when heavily involved in work. Clearly, Tony was too stressed for that, but Bruce was too distracted to give it too much thought.

Bruce was used to hiding. He was used to keeping secrets. He was even used to everyone, even his closest friends thinking him devoid of love or sex interests. He had long since accepted these things as part of his curse. So why then did Tony wanting to keep their involvement a secret simultaneously turn his stomach with a heavy wave of nausea, bruise pride he didn't realize he still had, rile up the “Other Guy” beneath his skin and stir up something else that he could only describe as heartbreak though he fought internally to admit to that?

Tony was a very public figure, target of the press and paparazzi. He had a professional reputation and a public image to maintain. He was a genius, billionaire, _playboy_ , philanthropist. _Playboy_. Oh yes, magazines like _People_ and _Vanity Fair_ , not to mention the slew of tabloids, kept the tally on his sexual conquests. Anyone could track his break ups with Pepper by the photos and exclusives with various rebound eye candy he would bed within hours. Not one for infidelity, as soon as he and Pepper made up, Tony's love life disappeared from the articles again.

No, it made sense. Maybe later, he would even find a little comfort in the fact that Tony kept the real relationships from the public eye so at least he considered whatever was going on between them to be more real than his quite public check list of a year's worth of _Maxim_ cover models. Bruce didn't want to be in the spot light and if he was being honest with himself, he would be the one to hesitate from coming out. Still, he couldn't shake it.

He had been staring at his screen for a while when Tony finally broke him from his thoughts, warm breath on his neck and teeth at his earlobe. “You look like you could use some cheering up,” Tony whispered in his ear, hands trailing down Bruce's chest.

Bruce startled for a moment. Before he could catch himself, he countered bitterly, “Anyone could walk in.”

Tony either didn't pick up on the bitter tone or didn't care. “JARVIS, lock up, will ya?”

“Doors sealed, Sir.”

Tony licked Bruce's earlobe and teased his tongue down the doctor's neck, eliciting a reserved moan. The shame he'd felt earlier burned in the back of Bruce's mind as Tony spun his lab stool around and pressed their lips together. He bit at Bruce's bottom lip and Tony's tongue slid into his mouth. Tony unbuttoned Bruce's pants and slid his hand down boxers. As Tony took a hold of his half erect dick, Bruce's stomach went into knots. 

A voice in the back of his head screamed as Tony gave him a few firm strokes, completing his erection and pulling another moan from deep in Bruce throat. He didn't want to be a secret, for Tony to be ashamed of him. Tony pulled back and gave a sexy smirk before kneeling down and taking Bruce's whole length into his mouth. Though Bruce felt the anger boiling up, he alleviated it with fists full of Tony's hair. He guided Tony several strokes, growing more and more forceful. In between each deep plunge into Tony's mouth, Bruce heard a muffled groan and he wasn't entirely sure if the noise came from Tony or himself. Catching the unbridled lust in Tony's eyes despite how rough he was being (or more likely because of it) gave Bruce all the momentum to increase pace, slamming his cock harder and deeper down Tony's throat. 

The arguing in the back of his head drowned out by the hot flush spreading over Bruce's body, he let Tony distract him, not wanting to face the problem right now. 

Old habits die hard.

* * *

Despite having initiated, Tony had found himself with no control whatsoever, again. Not that he minded; in fact, he'd never been more turned on than when Bruce took over, pulling Tony's hair and shoving himself deeper down Tony's throat. Unlike the night before when Bruce had taken his time, the doctor didn't tease or drag things out. There was nothing tantric about this. It was gritty and rough and god was it hot. Tony had a hand in his pants, stroking himself as Bruce fucked his face.

Bruce's groans turned into growls and for a moment, Tony panicked, desperately scanning for any sign of green. He locked onto Bruce's eyes, still mostly brown but the hints of green did little to reassure Tony. And then Bruce seized and held himself against Tony's mouth, Tony's nose pressed hard into his pubic bone, a thick warm load shooting down his throat. The sound that ripped from Bruce as he came was enough to push Tony over the edge, making a mess in his pants.

* * *

Natasha was greeted with Clint's lips as she opened her door and he stole her away into the room. She kicked the door shut and gave her whole body over into his arms, letting him pull her onto the bed. After settling into each other's arms, Clint pulled away with a smile. “Missed you.”

“I was only with Stark for 6 hours,” she answered with a teasing smile. Natasha had always enjoyed the honeymoon phase they slipped back into following long periods of time apart, though she never admitted it.

Clint kissed her again, his tongue dancing with hers. He broke the kiss, and leaned into her ear to whisper, “Gotta make up for lost time.”

However, as much as she would have loved to spend the next few hours making up for lost time, Natasha knew their work needed to come first. She left a single chaste kiss on Clint's cheek and asked, “How was yoga?

The momentary disappointment on Clint's face almost changed her mind, but then it was gone, replaced with an unexpected smile.

“Actually, we had a really good time. Well, right up til Stark showed up. We were working on one of those acro-yoga bits you two like to do.”

“The _natarajasana_ or the _mayurasana_?” she asked, more for curiosity than any practical purpose.

Clint shrugged and gave her a look. “You know I don't keep track of them like that. It was the upside down dancer one.”

A small smile crossed her lips and Natasha confirmed, “ _Natarajasana_.”

“Yeah, anyway, Bruce was in a fantastic mood, like nothing I've ever seen on him. He's like a completely different person, Nat. I know with Stark's history, we gotta be prepared for this to go south but I'm not gonna lie. I'm seriously rooting for 'em.” While he spoke, Clint wove his fingers between Natasha's and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Besides, if Tony fucks it up, I can't promise I won't put an arrow in his eye socket and that'll definitely put a damper on the whole team thing.”

She felt a little bad over it, especially after Tony had been on his best behavior today, but Natasha couldn't help but laugh at that mental image. “I'm sure it would. You said Bruce was like a different person?” she prompted Clint, bringing the conversation back on track before he could get too far off.

“He smiled the entire time, like real, up to the eyes smiles. He was laughing, even at my shit jokes. His personal space issues were nonexistent. The biggest thing though, he didn't look at the door. Not once, Nat. He wasn't looking for the escape. He was completely there and completely relaxed. Bruce is comfortable here, safe for the first time since I've known him and probably a lot longer than that too.” He licked his lip, going pensive for a moment. “Nat, I don't think I could handle seeing that taken away from him.”

She nodded, planning out her next day, rearranging the schedule mentally to allow for an hour of yoga with Clint and Bruce. It might mean playing up their lack of a relationship but she needed to see the changes first hand. Perhaps, she could even find him tonight.


	15. Swimming past the breakers

When Natasha found Bruce, her immediate thought was that Clint had lost his mind. The doctor was slumped over his food, his whole demeanor withdrawn, like a child who just lost his puppy. Of course, Clint was better than that. This had to be a fresh wound. Slowly, she took the seat next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Bruce flinched and startled. He spun to face her and then let out a heavy sigh. “Tasha, don't do that!” he pleaded, hand on his chest. “You can't go sneaking up on me like that!”

Natasha winced, the expression mostly genuine, before she could catch it. “Sorry.”

“No,” Bruce replied drawing back in on himself. “I'm sorry. I guess I'm still on edge.”

“I thought-” She hesitated, having almost slipped up. No one knew she and Clint were even on speaking terms much less back together. Still, even if Clint hadn't told her about yesterday, she'd still be suspicious, especially after seeing Bruce leaving Tony's room this morning. “You were in such a good mood this morning. What has you so down, Bruce?”

He paused reluctantly and they both broke eye contact, Bruce returning his gaze to his food and Natasha picking a random spot on the wall ahead to stare into.

“You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. Just as long as you know you can, if you need to.”

“It's not that I don't want to talk. I just-” He paused again, contemplating his words carefully. “When you left to follow Barnes, did you suspect he might not care as much about you as you did him?”

_Ouch._ Natasha wasn't expecting that and in her surprise, she answered more honestly than she might have otherwise for anyone other than Clint, “I didn't suspect. I knew. I knew about the implants and the conditioning. I knew that the James who had been close to me all those years ago didn't exist anymore. The man I-” And she caught herself on that, still not admitting to loving Barnes, not opening herself up to that hurt again. “ _Cared for_ was manufactured by high tech mind control and ceased to exist when they reprogrammed him to be someone else.”

“But you went with him anyway?”

“It was a mistake. A weakness.” Natasha shook her head. She was getting rusty. That, or she'd let herself get too comfortable here. Clint wasn't wrong; this team had become a family. She'd let them get under her skin, as unsettling as that realization was. Despite this bond, or perhaps because of it, she had to focus on the mission at hand. 

Bruce wasn't going to give her more without a little bait. Perhaps if she showed a card, keeping the rest of her hand safely out of sight. “Is this about this morning, Bruce?” she asked discretely, putting just enough emphasis to get across the point.

Embarrassment crept across his face as the doctor bit his lip and offered a halfhearted nod. “Didn't buy that tech talk, huh?” he asked while running a hand back to grip his neck.

She gave him that look that said a skeptical “Really?” and then softened a bit, smiling. “You've kinda followed him around like a puppy since the Chitauri invasion.”

Bruce laughed a little. “I'm not _that_ bad, am I?”

She nodded, keeping that gentle smile. “Can't say I blame you. When I was first assigned to Tony, he was infatuated with me. Even when he was dying, he went heavy handed on the flirting and intimate moments. Had Pepper in a jealous tizzy.” She 'd never forget Pepper's not so discrete glares and accusations. “It was certainly one of my more enjoyable assignments.”

“Tony knows how to make you feel important,” Bruce mused in a hushed, sincere voice.

“But he's damaged,” Natasha said, coming back to the here and now and earning a displeased look from Bruce. “We all are, of course, but for Tony, that damage permeates everything he does, every interaction. It's the driving force behind every mask he wears. The big shot CEO celebrity, the genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist schtick, even Iron Man, it's all his way of dealing with his damage without ever having to acknowledge it.

“Pepper knew the damage, at least to an extent, and she kept him on track by guiding him without acknowledging how much posturing he did. She'd let him keep his masks in tact and pushed him in just the right ways. If she could have handled the stress of his life always being at risk, they probably would have made it the long haul. If he could have thrived on any other persona or even all the others and just given up being Iron Man, they'd be together, but Tony likes being Iron Man much more than being himself, any of his other selves.”

Bruce listened silently, his soft brown eyes somewhere near awestruck. Natasha's gaze skirted to the floor as she spoke, as true as she knew how, “Being close to Tony means taking him where he's at, taking everything he insists on giving and not expecting anything more. It means bearing the long silences when he gets distracted by something shiny and new. It means suffering through his disease, because deny it as he might, he is a manic depressive alcoholic. It means being showered in attention and adoration near to drowning when he's up and truly drowning alongside him when he's down. He's like the ocean, always threatening to overtake you in the best and worst times.”

Though she may have laid that on a bit thick, it was for the best that Bruce be fully aware and for all their sakes, Natasha hoped he was a strong swimmer. 

 

* * *

“Cut the crap, Barton,” Tony cut off Clint, his voice not nearly as angry as his words sounded.

He'd tried to approach Tony in the lab, knowing Bruce would be preoccupied with Natasha for at least the next hour. Clint had barely got out three words before Tony had snapped and for a moment, he braced for another swing. 

However, Tony stood in a calm, wide stand and made no move to strike.“I know what you've been doing.”

_If that wasn't a loaded statement-_ Cautiously, he asked, “You do?”

“Yeah, I do. Not sure on the why but I know the what, so quit playing secret agent. Bruce might be cool with his friends spying on him, but in my book that just makes you a dick.”

“Ouch.” Clint winced dramatically. “Fair enough I suppose. I guess it won't make a difference that I had the best of intentions, huh?” Clint laughed a little, hands in his pockets. 

“The road to hell my friend, road to hell.” Tony shrugged. “Now, more important is what you can do to make up for being such a dick.”

Clint raised a brow. Tony never ceased to surprise him. “And what would that be Stark?”

“The way I figure, you were playing secret agent because you're bored, right? Because you were curious too? Seems like the kinda game you'd play for fun.”

Clint shrugged and nodded. Yeah, that sounded like him.

“Your bitter ex, triple agent imposter though, she's not the playful type.” Tony poured himself a drink as he spoke. “And you may not have noticed, but our Widow is definitely digging.”

His eyes narrowed and Clint kept quiet, not giving Stark anything more to fuel his theory.

“She's playing it off like a favor for Peps, but trust me, she's working me and doing a better job than you too. You were sloppy expecting Bruce and I wouldn't get into specifics.”

“Any idea what she's trying to figure out?” Clint asked with feigned innocence.

Tony rolled his eyes. “C'mon, what'd I say about playing the spy? We both know _what_ you were trying to figure out.”

“Well yeah, but like you said, I was bored and curious. Nat doesn't really care about the latest gossip, certainly not enough to take on being your personal baby sitter, so what do you think her end game is?”

“I don't know.” That wasn't something Stark said often and Clint couldn't help but feel some satisfaction in it. “I've got a couple guesses, but that's why we're talking now. You want to make up for being a dick? Use your spy training and find out what she wants.”

Fighting off a fit of laughter, Clint managed to let out only a stifled laugh. “You serious? Nat's way out of my league in this business Stark, there's no way.”

“Aw, come on, Barton. Can't handle the challenge?” Tony teased with a knowing grin.

Those were the wrong words to speak to Clint. Though he knew it was a flaw, he couldn't resist a challenge. Of course, the real challenge here wouldn't be figuring out Natasha's motives; he already knew that. No, the real challenge would be baiting Stark long enough for Natasha to work her magic. 

“Fine. You're on.”

* * *

Despite the license included in the “new identity” package Stark had provided him with, what seemed like forever ago, Bruce hadn't driven since prior to moving into the tower and he didn't want to jump back behind the steering wheel in the middle of Manhattan. He knew, however, that staying in the tower right now just wasn't an option. It wouldn't matter where he was in the tower, Tony would come find him and the doctor needed time in his own head. So, he left his cell phone on his dresser and set off on foot toward Central Park.

In their years together as Avengers, Bruce could count on one hand the number of times Natasha had opened up so much. She was the listening sort, but rarely did she speak so freely and so deep. It wasn't that anything she'd said was unbelievable. In fact, he almost couldn't believe he hadn't seen it all from the start. 

Of course, he'd always been so worried about the “Other Guy” that he rarely had time to think about himself or whether he personally was good enough. The fact that he could lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster had always seemed like the bigger issue. This, though, this was entirely on Bruce. He'd been in so few relationships and it had been so long that Bruce knew he was terribly lacking in the experience and skills needed to make this work.

He settled comfortably on the grass, close to the water, shifting naturally into the _padmasana_. Focusing on the sounds of nature around him, Bruce filtered out the occasional laugh and conversation of passer-by's. He let his breathing slow and softly chanted the mantra “ _So Hum Om Shanti. So Hum Om Shanti. So Hum Om Shanti._ ”

As he spoke the mantra, Bruce's consciousness gently fell into that place where he could reach out and see his other self. The “Other Guy” was rarely communicative but in this deep place between the conscious and subconscious they could coexist. It was here that Bruce could know his whole self, see the reaches of his limits, the one place he couldn't lie to himself. It took a good deal of will to force the fears away; even in this deep, safe place, he still feared the question that had been eating away at him since Natasha waxed philosophical on loving Tony Stark.

Finally, the fear aside and deep within the trance, Bruce asked himself, _Can I be strong enough to love Tony?_

 


	16. Hit the panic switch

“Nat, we've got a problem.”

Those were most definitely her least favorite words to hear from Clint's mouth. It wasn't that she minded helping him, but most of the time when Clint brought her a problem, it was a mess that could have been prevented if he had just thought before speaking. Given their current mission, they couldn't afford a slip up like that.

“What's happened?”

“From here on out, I'm the assassin and you're the spy, alright?”

“Clint,” she warned.

He sighed. “So, because I suck at the whole spy thing, Stark figured me out. He figured out you too, well, sorta, but that was probably because of me too.”

Natasha pursed her lips and bit back the comment. She knew filling in for Pepper would set of Tony's warning flags, but then, she wouldn't have had to get that close if Clint hadn't botched things up to begin with, so she let him blame himself for the mess. “And?”

“And he wants me to spy on you now, to figure out why you're spying on him and Bruce.”

She had to stifle a laugh at that one, but knowing Clint, he definitely caught it.

“Yeah, that was my response too,” he acknowledged with a roll of his eyes. “But he's serious. He thinks I could actually get information from you that you didn't want to give.”

“ _Bohze moi_.”

* * *

 

Something wasn't right. Tony had already been on edge when Barton barged in after Bruce had left in a hurry. Although he normally would have pressed the issue of joining Bruce, the doctor seemed to need some space. The entire time he was talking with Clint, his mind was completely elsewhere, trying to figure out what went wrong. That, of course, had been doubly frustrating considering he was trying to watch Barton for clues. Still, all he could think of was how uncomfortable Bruce had seemed, how different the sex in the lab had been.

To be honest, he had avoided talking with Bruce about sex. The night before had caught him so completely by surprise and they really hadn't had the chance since. Tony had only just realized sex was even an option for them. Had he pushed too hard? Too fast? Was it the potential exhibitionism? But Bruce had taken control and set the pace. Despite the stress and worry, the very thought of Bruce grabbing fistfuls of his hair and forcefully fucking his face had Tony half hard. He tried to shake that off because regardless of what the doctor needed space for, sex was not the solution.

Tony wasn't the sort to give space. He knew it was a flaw, but he couldn't understand how the rest of the world couldn't keep up to speed with him. When he had a problem, he pushed and pushed and pushed until it was solved or destroyed. He did that to Pepper. He did that to anyone that got close to him. No, Bruce deserved better. He wouldn't push Bruce away. For someone who normally kept five different trains of thought running simultaneously, it struck Tony as particularly odd how all five were focused on Bruce right now.

He tried to distract himself and he tried to let Barton distract him. Neither attempt met much success. Then he was alone again, fighting the urge to go track down Bruce and insist on him talking. His work wasn't nearly engrossing enough and the doctor had already been gone for almost two hours.

After the fifth time glanceing up at the clock in ten minutes, Tony knew he couldn't fight himself any further.

“JARVIS? Where is Doctor Banner?” he asked.

* * *

 

Bruce had really come a long way in the years since joining the Avengers. Although this part of the park was pretty deserted, especially at this time of day, he was still in the middle of one of the most crowded cities in the country and completely vulnerable. Sunk into his own mind and blocking out the rest of the world, anything could have happened. And of course, it did.

She found him, sitting there, so calm, as if he were waiting for her, inviting her in. This was one invitation she would not refuse. She crept up and slid a glowing hand on the back of his neck, pushing her magic into him. She let her own influence flow into his mind and found herself surrounded by the cool green of his mindscape.

An instant glamour had her long blond hair replaced with a short, black mess, her green eyes cooling to a dark brown, and her generous figure stretching and reshaping to one distinctly male. The finishing touch, a soft blue glow in the center of her chest was all she needed.

“Bruce?” she called in a stolen voice.

* * *

 

Thor had never been as attuned to magic as most Asgardians, but given Loki's great skill in the art, it only ever made sense to Thor to focus on his own natural talents. He had enough of a grasp on his own magic to wield Mjölnir and that kept him content. It certainly didn't help that whenever he might have need for magic, Loki had been by his side, more than happy to provide it. Now, he wished he had a better understanding.

He could feel it in the air and, as much as he hoped it had nothing to do with his friends' experiment, the only way to be sure would be to ask. He might only be drawing Asgard's attention but he needed to be sure, to be prepared should his brother or Amora be close at hand. The elevator opened to the roof top and Thor stepped out, Mjölnir in hand.

Although he could simply call out and know that Heimdall would hear him, Thor intentionally called upon the faint tendrils of magic that teased in his veins and reached out as he called, “Heimdall. We must have words.”

In an instant, the bifrost opened and Thor was gone.

* * *

 

As Bruce struggled with his question, a voice pulled his attention away.

“Tony?” he asked, turning to verify the source of the voice. Just across the way, Tony stood, smiling at him, but the reflexive swell of excitement was quashed quickly by an eerie sureness that something was wrong. His smile, Bruce was certain after a moment, was wrong somehow. Still, this was all within his own trance, so his mind must be showing him this not-quite-right version of Tony for a reason.

“What are you doing here, Tony?” he asked, standing but not making a move toward him.

“I was worried about you. You ran off and-” Tony hesitated, looking away. “I thought I scared you away.”

Although he knew this wasn't really Tony, he couldn't help but be struck by that. He had been questioning himself, if he could be strong enough for this and ultimately, if the answer had been no, running would have been the obvious course of action. Somehow, none of that mattered now. He knew Tony had abandonment issues and his leaving, especially now, was probably worse than anything he could do by staying. Tony, even if just a projection of his subconscious mind, had cleared away all his doubts.

Bruce crossed the distance between them and lifted Tony's chin up to meet his dark eyes. “I'll be here until you tell me to leave.”

Tony smiled a half broken, sad crease of the lips and hugged Bruce tight. “Never,” he murmured into the doctor's shoulder, repeating the affirmation that had been so reassuring that morning.

Bruce smiled, letting his hand on Tony's face slide to the back of his neck and with the other arm, he reached around to pull Tony closer. However, just as his hand made contact with the small of Tony's back, Stark stiffened, his whole body seizing in the doctor's embrace.

Panic ripped through Bruce as Tony began to convulse and his legs gave out from beneath him.

“Tony?!” he pleaded, lowering Tony as gently as he could to the ground. He stroked Tony's face, but the skin beneath his hand blistered, forming welts that burst quickly and left a mottled mess of red and yellow.

An inhuman scream ripped from Tony's shuddering frame and what semblance of control Bruce had disappeared. Already awake and existing just a step out of his subconscious, the Hulk rushed to the forefront and Bruce helplessly watched as the anger washed him back into the depth. As his eyes shot open, the last thing he saw was Tony, lying next to him, his dark gaze wide with fear. His vision went green and everything was gone.

* * *

 

Although Tony hadn't been expecting it, he found Clint with Natasha in the dining room. If he weren't so terrified, he might have noticed how the pair of assassins were looking at each other, the desperate plea in Clint's eyes before they realized Stark was there. If he were still even remotely interested in the “spy game” and the challenge of it all, he would have taken the time to analyze the two of them. There was no time for that now. Fear struck him deep and Tony responded to that fear in the only way he knew how: shut off the emotions and suit up.

“Game over. I don't even care who won and take a note because you won't hear me say that again.” He was already clasping on the _colantotte_ for his latest suit. “Suit up.”

Both Clint and Natasha stiffened. Natasha was the first to speak. “What's our situation?”

“Bruce ran. Probably my fault. Doubt the spy games helped any.”

“Tony, maybe you should give him some space,” Clint chimed in. “He wouldn't leave without saying goodbye. He's probably just getting some fresh air and some time away from all the double agent games.”

Tony didn't even look at Clint, instead, locking eyes with Natasha's. “Romanov?”

After a brief moment in which a number of emotions flashed across her face, she answered, “He might be running, but isn't that his choice? If he really wants to leave you, what exactly do you plan to do to stop him, Stark?”

That almost broke the cold and calculating battle mask, almost. If Bruce told him, to his face, that he was leaving, that he didn't want this anymore? “If he says goodbye, I let him walk, but he's not just disappearing without warning. He's not-”

A loud sound, like thunder followed almost immediately by a rumble throughout the building cut off Tony. 

“What the hell?” Clint demanded.

“JARVIS? Earthquake?” Tony spat out.

“No sir, I believe Mr. Odinson has returned from Asgard. He is on his way down and shall be arriving shortly,” the accented voice spoke from nowhere. “Also sir, an urgent-”

“Not now JARVIS!” Tony scolded, trying to sort his head. 

Before he could, Thor was storming out of the elevator. “Friends, there is danger upon us!”

“Sir, if you please-” JARVIS chimed in once again.

“No, mute!” he ordered and shot Thor a look that said as much. “Just a minute, Point Break.”

Natasha, however, wouldn't be silenced as she stared at a flashing alert on her phone. “Stark, change of plans. We need to get Banner, now.”

“Nat? What is...” Clint's voice trailed off as he caught a glance at her screen. “Big Green in Central Park.”

And that was all Tony needed to push aside any emotional conflict that had threatened his calm and collected mask. “JARVIS, window, now,” was all the warning he gave before running toward the quickly sliding pane of glass and jumping as he activated the _colantottes_ on his wrists.

 

 


	17. I can take a hit

It hadn't taken long for Romanov and Barton to catch up to Iron Man and Thor. That, or the pair had been standing there, watching in confusion for whatever time it did take. Either way, as they arrived in the park, they were equally struck by the scene. The people in the park had all taken off, replaced by a handful of suits Natasha recognized. The agents kept their distance, but this had already escalated beyond their ability to cover up. Her options were limited. If she tranqed Banner, the agents could and likely would try to take him in, but if they couldn't get him to calm down, she didn't have much of a choice.

However, it didn't seem as though he was posing too much of a threat beyond his presence. Aside from a few uprooted trees, one of which was sinking into the lake, there was no real sign of the Hulk's anger. The Hulk hovered over something, a body perhaps, and growled at them, but he didn't move to attack. He stayed planted in his spot like a guard dog, chained by some invisible leash.

“What's going on Stark?” Natasha called over the comm.

“He won't let us get close,” he responded. “He lashed out when we got within twenty feet.”

“Any idea what or who he's got over there?” she asked.

Barton chimed in, “Definitely a who, male, early forties. He's injured.”

“Doctor Banner, please, we are not your enemies!” Thor pleaded, taking a step toward the Hulk.

The Hulk didn't let him finish, rushing him and roaring. The Hulk stopped as soon as Thor flinched back and returned to the body, resuming his defensive stance.

“We've got to get him away from that man,” Barton said. “Bruce is never going to forgive himself if he ends up killing someone.”

Landing the Iron Man suit, Tony responded, “I've got this. I can talk to him.”

“Bad idea, Stark,” Natasha warned. She knew immediately what he was planning and pulled out the tranq she'd been carrying close at hand since this whole mess started, ready to intercept. “I've got a tranquilizer that will knock him out long enough for us to get the Hulk back to the tower. Once we get him contained, you can try to reason with him.”

“No, this is my fault. You're not going to punish him for my mistake!” Tony's voice took a dark tone as he reached back for the release valve on his suit. The suit folded back, setting Stark free. They could hear JARVIS shouting warnings from within the empty suit.

“Hey Big Guy,” he called out, arms held up as he slowly walked toward the Hulk.

“Tony, don't!” Barton shouted.

The Hulk looked up, confusion furrowing his brow for a moment before he charged Tony, his roar knocking Tony off his feet.

Mjölnir hit the Hulk in the same instant as the Widow, tranquilizer planted in his massive green throat. The Hulk hit the ground and didn't get back up.

“NO!” Tony shouted, back on his feet and running to the Hulk's side. Thor stopped him with a solid grasp. Stark fought, helplessly against the god's grip. “Let me go, Thor!”

“Calm yourself Stark! The doctor was manipulated by Amora, but we must return him home until we can be certain he is free of her influence.”

“I could have calmed him down. He would have listened to me!”

“The Enchantress had control and she would have forced his hand. You would be crushed were not for Widow's quickness.”

Leaving Thor to deal with Tony, Natasha moved toward the agents who were finally bold enough to approach and stopped them once again. They were Hill's kids, for certain, all three instated by Maria directly. She couldn't count on loyalty to Fury from this bunch. Still, she was _the_ Black Widow. That still had to count for something, right?

“We've got this handled,” she spoke, more of an order than the words would indicate, her tone cold and demanding. “Mark this down as an individual Asgardian hostile. I will report the details before the night is over.”

“Agent Romanov, we have orders from Director Hill to retrieve the Hulk,” the senior of the three agents answered.

“ _Assistant_ Director,” she corrected, frustration bleeding through for a moment. “Director Fury has given me direct control over this situation, Agent. Stand down.”

If they called her on the bluff, this wouldn't end without a fight. Nick had left again right after their last meeting and even she didn't know where he was off to. It could take another two days to get him back. Fortunately, none of the three seemed willing to challenge her. The senior agent nodded and they made a hasty retreat. That would buy them enough time to get back to the tower, at least. Natasha let out a heavy sigh and returned to her team.

Tony had knelt beside the Hulk and pleaded in hushed tones with him, Thor standing over them, waiting impatiently. Hawkeye hovered over the body that the Hulk had been guarding.

“Barton, will he survive?” she asked.

“Heh- About that-” Clint responded. “You might want to come see this.”

Natasha cautiously walked to Clint's side to find the body in front of him a dead ringer for Tony, minus a bit of skin across the left side of his face. His dark eyes were wide with terror and he was convulsing, but that seemed more shock than anything else.

“Shape shifter?” Barton asked.

Natasha nodded. “The Enchantress.”

“What do you think he did to her?” he asked while moving to restrain Amora, dragging her up.

She shrugged and stepped up to Tony's side, placing a hand on his shoulder. “We'll get him back to the Green Room, Tony, but we need you to go talk to Cap. We don't know how long until SHIELD sends people and he needs to be brought up to speed.”

Natasha expected a fight, but instead, Tony offered only a helpless pleading gaze. He wouldn't beg, not aloud, but she understood. She nodded. “We'll keep him safe. All of us.”

After a quick glance back down to the Hulk and an uncharacteristicly gentle touch on a massive green hand, Tony stood and returned to his suit.

The Hulk moaned as Thor hoisted him up and set off with Mjölnir.

Returning her attention to Barton, she spoke,“Clint, let's get her back to the tower before the shock wears off. Maybe Stark and Banner's latest breakthrough can keep her there for now.”

* * *

_Thud. Thud. Thud._ Rhythmic blow after blow. Arms cutting through the air. Fists hitting the target over and over. The fabric wore thin and the seams groaned under the abuse. Finally cracking and splitting, the punching bag spilled sand to the floor, the fifth this hour.

Steve probably didn't need to keep this up. The serum kept him at peak physical condition, even when frozen in ice for close to a century. He enjoyed the routine though and it kept him occupied so he could avoid focusing too much on the changes of the world around him. He'd found soon after he woke that absorbing the changes slowly worked better than trying to adjust all at once. As he hung the next punching bag, the door whooshed open. Stark strode in, surprising Steve.

“Stark. Don't usually run into you down here.”

Tony shrugged. “You have a minute?”

Although he was probably bringing bad news, Steve decided to test his luck. He stepped into the boxing ring and motioned at the gear hanging on the wall. “How about we trade: a minute of your time for a minute of mine?” he offered with a smile.

Getting Tony into any sort of training was always a challenge, but one-on-one sparring sans the Iron Man suit never happened. Stark always refused even when Steve insisted, pointing out how much it would help him on the battlefield. So, when Tony slapped on the gear and stepped into the ring, Steve knew it must be serious.

He kept his expression level and asked, “Best two out of three?”

Tony nodded and took a wide stance before throwing the first punch. Steve easily dodged his fist but the elbow Stark followed with surprised him. He took the hit easily but was still impressed.

“So what's on your mind?” Steve asked while deflecting a kick. Tony seemed unfazed by the sparring, further confirming Steve's suspicions. “Is Doctor Banner alright?”

That startled Tony, if only for a moment. “What makes you-?”

Steve swept a foot behind Tony's feet, knocking him off balance. Reflexively, he caught Tony's arm before he hit the ground and Steve helped him back to his feet. That made one.

“If it were a mission, Fury would have called me directly,” Steve answered. “Or you'd have used the Avengers call card.”

Tony took an oddly long moment to process that as they began sparring again. He landed more than a few hits and a kick. Given his performance on the battlefield, Steve always felt Tony didn't know how the first thing about hand-to-hand combat, but clearly, Stark had picked up a bit on the way. Perhaps he just didn't use it while in the protection of the suit.

Finally, Tony responded, “It's not Bruce- well, not entirely Bruce. It's complicated.”

“Simplify it.” Steve blocked another strike only to find Tony pulling the same leg sweep that had floored Stark minutes earlier. Steve didn't go down, but he lost his balance for a moment. After regaining his foot, he smiled. “Nice one.”

Tony didn't respond to the praise, his raw nerves showing. Steve bit back his own worry. It took a lot to unsettle Stark this much. Much like Howard, Tony rarely struggled in the face of conflict.

“Okay,” Tony began after another long pause. “There was an accident and the big guy came out fighting. There wasn't much damage and no one got hurt, but a couple SHIELD agents showed up.”

Steve nodded, taking a slight offense. He still held back enough to keep from hurting Tony but kept moving all the same.

Tony took a deep breath and dodged Steve's blows. He continued, his voice getting faster, “Romanov's been reporting to Fury and he thinks Bruce is a risk. She and Barton were trying to fix that- damn spies- but see, it was kind of my fault, a little. I mean, when Pepper and I broke up- well, she broke up with me, but see Clint found out what she was doing- Natasha, not Pepper, but that was too late and then we thought they were both working the same mission against each other-”

“Tony, you're rambling and not in any sensible order.” Steve followed as best he could, but Stark men had trouble getting their mouths to keep up with their minds when they were stressed or excited. He had actually been quite fond of the trait in Howard, who would ramble on and on about his latest tech, explaining five concepts at once in a jumble of unrelated sentences. Now though, the extent of what he pieced together was Stark, Banner, Romanov and Barton had made a mess by keeping each other in the dark.

“Right, sorry, but-” Tony started again.

Knowing the rambling would continue, Steve cut Tony off again by slamming him to the mat. “That makes two for me.”

“Cap, this is more important than that. They're going to try to take Bruce!” Tony pleaded, “It's only a matter of time before SHIELD storms the tower and tries to take him.”

Steve offered Tony his arm, helping him to his feet. “We're a team, even if the four of you forgot that communication is the most important component of any team's survival. No one will take any member of our team without having to deal with all of us.”

Tony let out a heavy sigh of relief. “Thanks Cap.”

Steve smiled and added a comment that destroyed all of Tony's relief and calm, “Bruce may be your boyfriend now, but he's still my teammate.” 


	18. You don't know me at all

_**Angry. Hulk so angry.** _

The flood of anger, all consuming fury, flushed Bruce deep into the subconscious. _Ironic_. He'd been so worried about drowning in Tony's emotionally crippled brand of love and here he was, fighting for breath over his own torrent of rage. Tony deserved better than this. A disembodied hand brushed away a stream of tears from his mind's eye. Even as the storm raged around him, he could still feel that warm wet falling down his face.

_**Hulk was happy. Why can't Hulk keep happy? Hulk punished.**_

He tried to call out to the Hulk, but that was like screaming in the face of Victoria Falls. He'd been there once, before India. Bruce had been providing medical care for victims of the Lord's Resistance Army in the DRC but after leveling one of the villages he'd been trying to help when an unexpected attack landed him on the receiving end of a mess of shrapnel, he'd fled to Zambia. The falls were amazing, a force of nature comparable to the Hulk. He avoided conflicted territories after that. _Focus Bruce!_ he scolded himself. He had to reach the beast.

_**Hulk was good. Hulk only smash bad. Hulk in cage. Not fair!**_

The Hulk was right. It wasn't fair. Even after all they'd been through, Bruce still saw him as a monster, as the thing that would ultimately take everything from him. The rest of the team trusted him now. Hell, Tony had trusted him from the start. He had taken Bruce's hand and saw him as a whole, not as some twisted Jekyll and Hyde. Tony saw the Hulk as another facet of a good person, his teammate, his friend. If Tony could, there was no excuse why Bruce couldn't. He had to reach out to the Hulk.

_**Hulk smash cage. Hulk protect puny Banner from hurt. Nothing stronger than Hulk.**_

Forcing himself to focus, Bruce pulled his disconnected body together and chanted the mantra. _So Hum Om Shanti. So Hum Om Shanti. So Hum Om Shanti._ He pushed himself up, pressing into the space between the subconscious and the conscious. Here, in the eye of the storm, the doctor could speak and the scared and angry child could hear him. Because really, in the end, that's all the Hulk was. The Hulk had always been with him, that terrified little boy who couldn't protect his mother, whose father hurt him over and over until he had to break into pieces. And he could reach him. 

_Hulk!_

A soul shattering roar was the only response Bruce got.

* * *

 

“What?! You knew? How the hell?! For how long?!” Tony demanded, not believing what he'd just heard.

The look Steve shot him, as though Tony had missed something painfully obvious, was one Stark was far more accustomed to giving than receiving. “I was only surprised it took you two this long. The signs have all been there since that first day on the helicarrier. When Mr. Hogan proposed to Ms. Potts, it only made sense that Doctor Banner would comfort you. I tried to encourage him to act sooner. I even told him about the wedding plans.”

Tony remembered the comment Bruce made about that particular conversation. Even with all five trains of thought working on this, he still struggled to process that Captain- _fucking_ -America knew about him and Bruce before they knew themselves. “But you- The 1940's- You shouldn't even- I mean, two men-” he stammered. Desperately, he tried to regain control as his words failed him like never before. 

Again, Steve gave him that look. Tony already hated it. “Tony, your generation may be more open about gay relationships but you didn't invent them. We were just more discreet in my time. There were plenty in the Army. Sure, if the wrong CO found out, it was a mess, but we learned pretty quick how to keep under the radar, which men to avoid in particular and how to play it straight. Really though, most didn't give a damn so long as the job got done.”

Tony picked up on pronouns there and immediately dismissed that train of thought, having enough to deal with already. “Why didn't you say anything?”

“Not much to say,” Steve responded with a shrug. “You two make each other happy. That's what matters. Though, I did say something the other night. When we ran into each other on the elevator, I mentioned you shouldn't stay up all night.”

“On our _experiment_!” _Unbelievable!_ Not only was Steve in the know but he had casually snuck that euphemism past both Tony and Bruce. 

Steve blushed, as if he could hear Tony's incredulous thoughts and responded, “Well, I didn't want to embarrass anyone by being vulgar.”

Tony scoffed. He'd have preferred the “vulgar” comment to the shock after the fact. Actually, no, he'd have preferred to go back to the world making sense and Steve Rogers, the symbol of good ol' fashioned American values to be woefully naive of his love life.

* * *

Neither Natasha nor Clint had left the room adjacent to the Green Room when Thor found them. Clint watched as the Hulk stirred in his sleep, the tranquilizer wearing off faster than they'd expected. Natasha's attention focused on Thor, the pair seeming to operate in tandem, each covering half the room. Even to the Asgardian, their partnership was apparent.

“Widow, Hawk,” he greeted them solemnly.

Clint kept his eyes on the Hulk on the view screen but waved, while Natasha nodded her greeting.

“Is the Enchantress still incapacitated, Thor?” she asked.

“Aye, she is indeed. Amora has been gravely injured and by a means which I cannot ascertain.”

This caught both their attentions, Barton and Romanov shooting each other a questioning look before returning their focus on the Hulk and Thor respectively. Natasha put on her best “discreet” voice, laced with implication and subtlety. “She wasn't injured by the Hulk?”

“Nay,” he responded, hesitating. “Rather, Amora may have suffered at his hand but her injuries were caused by no brute force. The burns which cover her face most resemble very dark magic. Or, were she mortal, the wounds of the chemical warfare some humans employ in battle.”

Clint tensed and Natasha paused. Almost to himself, Clint muttered, “Stark and Banner's experiment?”

Thor nodded.

Calculating, Natasha asked, “Will she survive?”

“Aye, I do believe she shall.” Thor gave pause, not wishing to alarm his teammates. “I must return her to Asgard for proper care. I shall do my best to protect us, friends; however, once Banner awakens, I shall need have words with him.”

“We'll hold down the fort til you get back.” Clint responded, keeping his eyes on the Hulk.

Natasha added a nod.

Realizing that was all he could expect from the pair, Thor nodded once more and left to retrieve Amora. As he walked the hall, Thor glanced down to his arm where his gauntlet had a patch of rust, pitted with holes where one of the Hulk's hands had brushed it. He doubted he would actually be able to hide this from Odin, but damned if he weren't going to try.

* * *

Stark pushed aside his shock and the train of thought now dedicated solely to questions for and about Steve. He also pushed aside his gut reaction to run into this headfirst. He had a team and needed to rely on them. “So, we should be expecting a SHIELD team soon. What's the plan, Cap?”

Steve led him across the room to his bag and pulled out a SHIELD issued tablet. “We'll call in and tell them to stand down.” he spoke and began thumbing through the screen more deftly than Tony had ever seen him take to a piece of technology. Sure, Rogers was smart -Tony knew that- and he learned things faster than most, but Tony hadn't realized just how quickly his out-of-time teammate had been catching up. Tonight was turning out to be all about raising his respect for the good Captain.

After another moment of work, the tablet made a ringing sound that was promptly followed by a projection of Maria Hill.“Assistant Director,” Steve greeted her with a single short nod.

Hill bristled. “Captain Rogers.” Irritation stained her voice as she turned her cutting gaze to Tony. “I am in no mood for your games, Stark. Leave this talk to the grown ups.”

Steve cut in before Tony could counter and escalate Hill's already foul mood. “Mr. Stark is a member of my team and I would appreciate it if you respect him as such. It is vital for you to understand the state of _my_ team, Ma'am.”

The emphasis on “my” warmed Tony in an unexpected way. He had always been the possessive type but rarely tolerated anyone taking that same attitude with him. Yet, for some reason, he found himself oddly content with the idea of belonging to the Captain's team. This contentment made it all the easier to slide on a casual smile as he added, “Don't worry, Maria. I'm just here for moral support. Cap's doing the talking.”

After a moment of glaring -if looks could kill- she spoke, “Then I suggest you talk and quickly. We all know why you're calling, so give me one good reason to recall the extraction team I sent for the Hulk.”

“First and foremost, _Dr. Banner_ is also a member of my team. All of my team are my responsibility and I will not allow any of them to be 'extracted.' Second, I know for a fact that Agent Romanov has already submitted her report, clarifying that this incident was caused by the Enchantress and that no one but the Enchantress was harmed as a result.”

Considering the revelations of the night so far, this only surprised Tony slightly. That explained what he'd been thumbing through on screen before placing the call.

“According to my agents, who were on the scene before your _team_ arrived, there was a man injured who they couldn't get away from the Hulk.”

“And according to those agents, that man was Mr. Stark who, as you can plainly see, is just fine.”

Tony bit back an ego-stroking comment about how he was plenty more than “just fine” as Steve continued, “Dr. Banner was attacked by the Enchantress disguised as Mr. Stark and he defended himself, nothing more.”

“That is for SHIELD to decide after we question Dr. Banner.”

“No Ma'am, in fact, it is not. Director Fury gave this assignment to Agent Romanov. Further, if you'll check your display screen-” Steve typed something on the tablet. Tony caught a string of numbers, letters and characters followed by a fingerprint and cornea scan. Steve waited until Hill's face dropped at the transmission. “You'll see, I have rank here, _Ma'am_.”

Tony caught his jaw just before it smacked the floor. How had Spangles- Steve, he mentally corrected himself- not only pulled rank on Maria-fucking-Hill but managed to do it so damn politely? He found himself strangely turned on- not a thought he needed right now.

Hill regained her composure enough to almost completely cover the crimson flush of embarrassment, anger or both. “My apologies _Captain_. You'll not be bothered by my team tonight.”

Tony didn't like the way she tacked “tonight” on the end there but Steve seemed satisfied. “Very good, Ma'am.” He offered only a curt nod to mark the end of the conversation and closed the video call.

“Cap, you outrank Hill and no one knew. I don't know whether to be worried or turned on.”

Steve's brow wrinkled with disapproval. “I don't think your doctor would approve.”

The mention of Bruce struck down all those stray thoughts, at least temporarily. The last to go down, _'Steve didn't say that_ he _wouldn't approve'_ tucked itself away somewhere but Tony knew it would pop back up at some other inopportune time. Focus! “Now that SHIELD is out of the way, I guess it's time to get Bruce back.”


	19. Safe and sound

They found Clint and Natasha in the observation room adjacent to the Green Room, where the Hulk had burned through the tranquilizer before he could revert back to Bruce. Hulk had not woken up happy.

“Cap, I don't think this is such a good idea.” Natasha warned, after they'd explained the plan. “He woke up fighting and already managed a few dents in there. Even with the suit, Stark won't stand a chance.”

“Oh good. Guess that means I can leave it behind,” Tony responded with a flash of his best camera face grin.

“Stark, are you crazy?!” Clint demanded. “The Hulk can kill you with a flick of his pinky!”

Tony's expression dropped and he answered, his voice deadly serious, “He can, but he won't.”

Steve offered a smile and a hand on Tony's shoulder. “We've got your back, Tony.”

Hearing his name- not Stark or Mr. Stark or Shellhead- brought a softer smile to his lips as Tony opened the outer door to the Green Room. 

The door slid shut behind him and inside the chamber, JARVIS asked, “Sir, are you certain you do not wish to wait until Dr. Banner has calmed down. The risk of-”

Tony cut him off. “JARVIS, mute. Bruce needs me.” He pressed his palm to the security pad and spoke, “Lock override, 199999-Big-Green-Science.”

The inner door slid open and Tony was immediately greeted with a roar that shook his whole body as the Hulk charged at him.

To his credit, Tony didn't flinch. If his voice wavered, he could blame it on the vibrations tearing through him from the Hulk's battle cry. He stepped forward with a smile. “Hey Big Guy. It's okay now.”

A massive fist drawn back to strike, the Hulk stopped not a moment too soon. “ **To-ny**?” he asked, his voice, though hard and gravelly, touched with a hint of something vulnerable, like a lost child, searching for home.

“Yeah, it's me, buddy. I'm safe now.”

The Hulk took a moment to contemplate Tony, then pulled his fist back a bit farther. Threat clear in his tone, he demanded, “ **Trick?** ”

Tony shook his head and offered his hand. “I promise. Please, Hulk, Bruce needs to know I'm okay. He's scared.”

The Hulk slowly let his fist fall to his side. “ **Hulk scared.** ”

In a slow but smooth movement, Tony reached out and touched the Hulk's arm. “We're safe now. All three of us.”

Massive, green eyes locked onto him, practically glowing with radiation and yet, clearly Bruce's eyes. It never ceased to amaze Tony how anyone could see the Hulk and not see Bruce still behind those eyes. Even at his worst, the man was still there and could still be reached by anyone who gave a damn enough to try.

“Trust me?” It was more a statement than a question. Tony had identified that in Bruce long ago. The doctor just needed someone to trust him and when Stark had offered that completely and without anything on Bruce's part, he had followed suit with little hesitation.

The Hulk nodded. “ **Sleep now. Banner safe. Hulk safe.** ”

* * *

 

It was rare that Bruce came front completely conscious. He usually woke in a mess of rubble and destruction from his other half, head aching and memories fuzzy. He usually came to nearly, if not completely naked, dehydrated and starving, ready to eat more than a week's worth of food in one sitting. He usually came to far away from home and safety. He usually woke afraid of who he'd hurt and terrified that he'd be running again. Even in all the time he'd spent on the team, those fears were always there when he woke. Every single time.

So, when he came to, still standing, with a warm, yet seemingly small hand on his shoulder, Bruce was understandably stunned. The room around him expanded and the hand grew. It took him a few long moments to realize it was his own body shrinking. The reverse of his transformation was surprisingly less painful than changing into the Hulk, even when he didn't fight it.

As Tony came into focus, unharmed, relief overwhelmed Bruce. Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around Tony and pulled him close and tight.

“See? Safe.”

Bruce couldn't manage a response, not yet. A nod into Tony's shoulder and a muffled sob would have to suffice. 

Then again, Tony didn't complain as he tightened their embrace.


	20. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I had originally planned a little peek into part two for this, but the scene I wanted to do just didn't feel right. Instead, you're going to get several tiny little peeks. No promises on order (in fact, they're definitely not in order) and no promises on how long until you'll get the rest around these clips (yes, I know, I'm cruel.) For those who've stuck with me this long, thank you. I hope you enjoyed this half as much as I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> Warnings: Intense conflicted feels ahead!

* * *

Intense green eyes locked onto Thor, burrowing deep into his core in a way no one else could. “You need my help, Brother.”

* * *

 

Tony slammed his fist down on Steve's chest heavy and hard, though Steve's flinch wasn't from being physically moved. “Tell me the damn truth. Tell me this is all in my head and I'll never say another word about it, but you look me in the eye Steve and you tell me you don't want this too!”

* * *

 

Bruce fit comfortably into Steve's arms, both laying down on the couch. “Thank you,” he murmured.

“For what?” Steve asked, his attention turning from the movie to Bruce.

“For not letting me run away.”

Steve answered with a gentle squeeze and a kiss into soft, brown curls.

* * *

 

“What do you even care?” Tony demanded.

Bruce flinched as the bottle crashed against the wall, the ounce or so of scotch that had been left in the bottom spilling out on the wall and floor.

* * *

 

Clint stared down Barnes, shooting daggers. The look Barnes returned wasn't much kinder. “What's going on here, Nat?”

“Clint, I can explain,” Natasha's voice wavered for an uncharacteristic moment.

* * *

 

“Father, please, there must be another means,” Thor pleaded. “It was by your own council that I learned a wise king never seeks out war. Why then would you threaten war upon Midgard for an advancement of which they hardly understand?”

  


The team stood watching, their faces lit by the flames which still raged in the remains of the tower. Although pain was evident in all their faces, anger overpowered the pain. They couldn't prevent the attack on their home. They hadn't even seen it coming. But they would be sure to live up to their name.

They would avenge. 


End file.
